Somewhere just outside the all-conquering shadow of the Australian Cricket team sits a lone figure, quietly accumulating runs in the name of redemption.
After a mixed Sheffield Shield season, Ed Cowan recently signed with New South Wales, after leaving Tasmania with one year to run on his contract. On the surface it may appear as though Cowan is heading home to lick his wounds, but as with anything there is far more in play.
“It’s solely driven by family”, he said when he announced his departure, “From a cricket point of view I was very sad to leave, I loved my time down there, but there’s new chapters to have”.
New chapters indeed, but also opportunity. After eight Tests and having completed a maiden century against a rampaging South African attack, the world appeared to be at Ed Cowan’s feet in 2012. Ten Tests later and he was out of the side after indifferent form in India and the opening Ashes Test. Shane Watson took his place as opener and Cowan returned home to ponder what went wrong.
Luckily cricket is but one passion for Cowan. He is the proud father of a two-year-old, Romy, and his wife, Virginia Lette, is a media personality with a stellar career of her own.
During his last few years in Hobart his family lived in Sydney. Despite Lette performing MC duties for the Hobart Hurricanes during the Big Bash, “a little bit of isolation” set in and Cowan resolved to return to his family in NSW at season’s end.
In his 18 Tests for Australia, Cowan proved a methodical anchor batsman, difficult to dislodge, happy to leave the ball alone. In spite of his slow starts, Cowan showed significant promise as a dour opener and subsequently at first drop.
Having made 14 from 43 balls in his last innings for Australia, it was clear Cowan needed to find a way to keep the runs ticking over. Essentially, can a tiger change his stripes?
Cowan began the 2014-15 Sheffield Shield in spectacular fashion. He averaged 65.56 and notched four centuries before the Big Bash interval. After appearing to be batting with more freedom than at any point in his career, the Big Bash proved an unwelcome distraction for Cowan.
In the second half of the season he averaged just 21.29. The runs dried up, and Tasmania’s promising start to the season ground to a halt. In contrast, the Australian side had an unprecedented summer of success, glossing over the fact that it’s top order is by no means set in stone.
Steven Smith’s exponential rise to prominence was a blessing that few could predict, and Michael Clarke and David Warner are world-class. But with Clarke’s fitness an ongoing concern, there are precious few batsmen knocking down the door for selection.
“There’ll be a bit of a race on early next season”, says Cowan, “there’s certainly a spot there”.
Chris Rogers, 38, as stoic and solid as ever, has confirmed that this year’s Ashes defence in the UK will be his last series.
Glenn Maxwell is yet to make the quantum leap from Test liability to Test reliability, thus an enormous opportunity presents itself to whomever proves worthy. “I’m confident that I can put some runs on the board and try and snag that spot”, says Cowan.
With his personal life more settled and a rare winter at home ahead, the path has been laid bare.
Cowan is no stranger to adversity, and is no dummy. “Just finishing off my Masters in Applied Finance” he offers when asked, almost bashful of his obvious prowess within the field.
In 2013 he published a diary, In The Firing Line, and won praise for his brutally honest account of his career to that point.
Just how likely a Cowan recall is remains to be seen. This will be a year of change for the Australian side, tasked with defending the Ashes and simultaneously replacing several players entering the twilight of their careers. Chris Rogers will retire and Brad Haddin will be thinking along similar lines.
Opportunities abound for batsmen with the right temperament and character. With his considerable experience, and a reputation as a gentleman and scholar, it is not Cowan’s exemplary character that requires further validation.
It is time for his bat to do the talking, and for the first time in several seasons it would appear the distractions and excuses have been removed. 2015 could be the year Ed Cowan emerges from his stodgy cocoon, but at 32 years old it is a case of now or never. The stage is set, the long march back to the top has begun.
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