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Australia’s newest international Brett Geeves admits he was just hours away from giving up on cricket to accept a labouring job to pay the mortgage.
Geeves took two wickets in yesterday’s 180-run win over Bangladesh in the first one-day international in Darwin to cap a remarkable past year, which also included state success and a stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Yet just over a year ago, Geeves was looking for work because he feared he would lose his state contract after falling to sixth in line in the state bowling order and missing Tasmania’s maiden Sheffield Shield win.
“About 10 hours,” he said today, when asked how close he was to giving up on his first-class career.
“I was really, really close. I was offered a job and I was going to take it and start on the Monday.
“But I spoke to my father and he said ‘No, don’t. That would be pretty stupid.’
“Luckily I didn’t, and it’s all worked out quite well.”
Missing Tasmania’s historic triumph, along with his dad’s advice, provided a spur for Geeves to do everything he could to keep alive his cricket career.
He did a football pre-season with Glenorchy – “they flogged the pants off me” – and hit the gym hard.
Fit and hungry, he last season became his state’s leading wicket-taker (37) in the four-day competition and claimed a competition-high 15 scalps in Tasmania’s triumphant one-day campaign.
He then received a call-up from his former coach in the island state, Greg Shipperd, to join the Delhi Daredevils in the maiden IPL season, alongside Virender Sehwag and Glenn McGrath.
Brett Lee’s recent marriage break-up then provided an opening for the right-arm quick to join the national squad in the Top End, even though he was overlooked for the Australia A tour of India.
To top that, Andrew Symonds’ expulsion and Shane Watson’s toe injury then paved the way for Geeves to get a taste of something he now wants more of.
“I never thought I’d play for Australia … for it to happen is quite unbelieveable,” he said.
“Playing for Australia, it’s every boy’s dream, so I’m very excited and if I can get another game in there at some stage it would be great.”
Bangladesh wicketkeeper Dhiman Ghosh was Geeves’ first international scalp, but his second, Roqibul Hassan, was still feeling the effects today.
Roqibul suffered a fractured thumb when Geeves’ lifter struck him on the gloves before the ball ballooned to second slip.
Roqibul will be assessed by a surgeon tomorrow before Bangladesh decide whether he will be available to play in the second match on Wednesday.
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