The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Abbott, cricket's new gentleman star

Roar Guru
16th October, 2014
7

The Australian cricket team have made no apologies for their return to a bullish on-field persona. And at this point it’s hard to argue with the results.

But Australia’s newest allrounder Sean Abbott is making inroads not only as a young player on the rise in a World Cup summer, but a 22-year-old not content with forging his reputation on talent alone.

Adam Gilchrist stood out amongst his generation, not only for his extraordinary ability, but for his sportsmanship.

And in an age where heated on-field antics are becoming common place, Abbott has revealed he’s taken steps to eradicate “bad habits” and become international star and cricket gentleman at the same time.

Winning the Steve Waugh medal as NSW’s best player has been a turning point for Abbott’s blossoming career in more ways than one.

Not only did it pave the way for his Twenty20 and ODI debuts in the UAE against Pakistan earlier this month, but on a more fundamental level, it’s resulted in a change in outlook.

A conversation with former Test great Brian Booth at the NSW awards ceremony forced Abbott to reassess an occasionally volatile on-field demeanour.

“I was just a bit loud on the field, getting a bit angry,” he said.

Advertisement

“I’d bowl a half-volley at the end of my over and I’d be yelling at myself and it’s not really a good look. There’s no need for it really.

“So I quickly got rid of that and I’m pretty happy with where my game is moving at the minute.

“I spoke to Brian Booth about how he went about the game and him being such a gentleman of the game.

“If he got a bad decision on the field and someone asked him if he was out, he’d say, ‘well the umpire gave it out’ and he moved on.

“I got into a few bad habits when I first started and quickly had to get rid of those.

“To talk to someone like that who was so humble on the field was really good for me being such a young guy.

“Hopefully I’ll continue to take what Brian said to me that night into my career going forward.”

Advertisement

Abbott bowled tidily in his solitary T20I and ODI appearances in the UAE, and is optimistic about his World Cup hopes, despite his batting numbers needing some work.

He’s going up against a competitive field for selection including Shane Watson, Mitch Marsh, Moises Henriques and James Faulkner, but Abbott is confident there’s room for multiple allrounders in the Australian squad.

“I think a lot of us are very different cricketers at the same time,” said Abbott, who returns to the NSW squad for Friday’s one-day cup clash against Victoria.

“Being part of the Australian squad for the last few weeks (the World Cup) has been on my mind a little bit.

“But the best thing I can do at the moment is worry about tomorrow’s game for the Blues.”

close