Beau Casson tried to be a man about it. In the end, he was man enough to admit that just the thought of becoming Australia’s 401st Test cricketer brought a tear to his eye.
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The left-arm wrist spinner struggled to keep his emotions in check as Ricky Ponting gathered the Australian team at training today to announce Casson would make his debut in the third Test against the West Indies starting on Thursday.
The 25-year-old shifted uneasily as the skipper spoke, looking down at the ground as he tried to compose himself during what he said was the high point of his blossoming career.
“You try to be all macho and manly, but it certainly did have its toll on me,” Casson said.
“Thinking about 401 still brings a tear to my eye and I’m not ashamed to admit that.
“It’s going to be a pretty tough time trying to keep myself together knowing that I’m going to get that baggy green.
“The excitement, the build-up of something you have always wanted to do sort of had the better of me there for a couple of minutes.
“I was trying to look at the captain, I was very pumped and excited about the moment, but I had to try to look at the ground to give myself a second to pull myself together and make sure I’m ready to go for training.
“The first half of the training was a bit of a nightmare, getting my head around knowing the possibility of being 401 dawned upon me … the first half dozen (balls) in the nets weren’t so great because of the emotion.
“But it’s very exciting, something you’ve wanted to do since you started playing and knowing it’s becoming a little bit of a reality.”
Casson will at least have a good two days to let the feeling sink in before he is tossed the ball by Ponting to bowl his first delivery as a Test cricketer.
When he first arrived in the Caribbean four weeks ago, Casson admitted he was like a “kid in a candy store”.
Just being in the same changeroom as Ponting was “an absolute thrill”, with his career highlight before today being singing the team song, Under the Southern Cross I Stand, after the first Test victory at Sabina Park.
He has copped a good-natured ribbing from his new teammates, particularly Andrew Symonds.
But, importantly, he’s been able to give some back, which as Ponting explains: “Is a good way to find that someone is fitting into the group.”
Above all else, though, Casson has become a better bowler since first stepping foot in the Windies.
Everyone from Ponting, to his NSW skipper Simon Katich, coach Tim Nielsen and even Casson himself have noted how much the spinner has developed by just bowling to Australia’s elite batsmen in the nets.
Replacing the retired Stuart MacGill in the XI, Casson would appear primed for his introduction to international cricket – even if he admits he’ll be a bundle of nerves before sending down his opening delivery.
“I don’t think I’d be human if I wasn’t,” said Casson, a keen student of the sport who can often be found watching cricket DVDs or reading books about the game.
As well as bowling, Casson also brings with him an impressive record with the bat last summer for NSW, averaging over 60.
AUSTRALIA v WEST INDIES
Third Test
June 12-16 (starts Friday 0001 AEST)
Kensington Oval, BarbadosTEAMS
Australia: Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke (v-c), Phil Jaques, Simon Katich, Michael Hussey, Andrew Symonds, Brad Haddin, Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, Beau Casson, Stuart Clark.West Indies: (possible) Chris Gayle (capt), Ramnaresh Sarwan (v-c), Sewnarine Chattergoon, Xavier Marshall, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Sulieman Benn, Jerome Taylor, Daren Powell, Fidel Edwards.
SERIES
Australia lead 1-0
First Test: Australia won by 95 runs at Sabina Park, Jamaica
Second Test: Match Drawn at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, AntiguaHEAD-TO-HEAD
Series: Australia 12, WI 8, Drawn 2
Tests: Played 104, Australia 49, WI 32, Tied 1, Drawn 22
At Kensington Oval: Played 9, Australia 2, WI 4, Drawn 3BEAU CASSON
First class record
M Runs Avg 50 HS Wkts Avg 5w/i 10w/m Best
40 1259 24.68 6 99 107 40.36 4 1 6-
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