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If you’re a cricket fan, you will know sports artist extraordinaire Paul Trevillion.
He has been sketching ‘You Are The Umpire’ for more years than he cares to remember and his illustrations of Sachin Tendulkar have been running in the Daily Mail during the Little Master’s farewell Test in Mumbai.
Over the course of his career evergreen Paul has drawn everyone from Keith Miller and Dennis Compton, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, Ian Botham and Viv Richards, Kevin Pietersen and Alastair Cook to Winston Churchill and Roy of the Rovers.
The Roar caught up with cricket enthusiast Paul to ask his views on the forthcoming Ashes Down Under.
The Roar: Hi Paul, thanks for your time. Firstly, who do you think will win The Ashes?
Paul Trevillion: Definitely England! We will come back with the Ashes. I think it will be 3-2.
We are the ultimate fighting unit at the moment. We are tough like the Aussies used to be tough. I mean really tough.
But it will be a struggle, as Australians – no matter what they do – they never lie down and accept defeat.
Look at Alan Border. Now he was a tough player. Never gave an inch. That’s a proper Australian batsman.
For me he is second only to Tendulkar in my book because he cared so much. No cricketer ever had character like him.
No one was as tough – not even the great Steve Waugh.
But our top order has to start scoring runs.
We’re fighters at the moment, even if the top order doesn’t always score heavily we always seem to find runs from somewhere. Swanny [Graeme Swann] will have a go, or Broady [Stuart Broad] will contribute with some runs.
What do you think of Stuart Broad?
I genuinely believe Broad could be our Keith Miller – if he worked on his batting more.
I was good friends with Keith, I could tell you a story or two about the great man and his best mate Dennis Compton – but Stuart Broad as a bowler when he’s on fire, when he’s on form, for me, is far more unplayable than Jimmy Anderson – and that’s high praise indeed as no one moves the ball more than Jimmy Anderson.
I am glad Alastair Cook is back among the runs, now he needs to do it at The Gabba like he did last time around – and Trotty [Jonathan Trott] too – and if they do then we’ll be alright.
I thought Nick Compton was unlucky not to go. I remember talking to his granddad when he was still playing and what he used to say about bad runs of form – when it’s not your day there’s nothing you can do about it. If you get an unplayable one then you simply forget about it.
I think his grandson can be considered a bit unlucky not to be picked for the tour.
For me Broad is crucial – and forget about that nonsense about not walking at Trent Bridge, none of the Aussies would have walked either.
Which England players excite you?
I love KP [Kevin Pietersen]. He is a high risk player. By that I mean he can win you a five day game in an hour or in a session, but he can also cost you.
But he’s glorious to watch in full flow. That’s the nature of genius.
I like young Joe Root. He excites me. He’s got all the shots, he can play all around the wicket. There’s a similarity with [David] Gower in that respect.
I love people like Trott, gutsy players – every team needs them but he’s not what you pay your money for – he doesn’t excite. Not like a [Ian] Bell cover drive or the excitement of [Matt] Prior in full flow.
I really like young Joe Root – but his main problem in Australia is himself now. His main opponent is the lad who scored that glorious 180 at Lords in July.
His problem is that guy at Lord’s was at his peak even if he wasn’t like that all summer.
How do you think Root will fare this winter?
Can he do it again? Can he silence the Aussies with another world class knock? You become your own opposition.
The greats like Compton were always surpassing themselves. Am I as good today as I was yesterday? They had that drive, that inner drive that pushed them on.
And when you see players who have a good season and never really hit the heights again, never really fulfill that early promise because you know – you just know – that it’s in the mind most of the time.
Why?
I’ve seen so many players try and play safe when they had the talent to attack but didn’t believe in themselves enough to do so.
When they’ve had a bad spell that affects their confidence, so the next time they’re out there they become aware of their scars, they’re so scared of winning they don’t want to lose.
Then the next time it presents itself it affects you as a performer and you go into your shell and never produce what you’re capable of.
I’m not saying it’s going to happen to Joe Root, who I think is a great little player, I’m talking more of the players I’ve seen over the years.
That’s what used to happen to the English players against the Aussies – they were beaten before they stepped onto the field.
Tests or ODIs or T20 cricket?
For me it’s got to be Test cricket. I love Test cricket and Ashes cricket in particular – there’s something special about the twists, the turns, the intensity of Test cricket.
But I do like watching Eoin Morgan in the ODIs – he could have been a top class tennis player with all the timing in his wrists.
I like that lad Jos Buttler too. T20 has its place but I do love the superior form of the game: Test cricket – and I can’t wait for The Ashes – come on England!
I love Jonny Bairstow too, my word he can hit a ball. He can do a KP for you. I would go and watch him.
(I mention to Paul that we saw Bairstow hit 114 off 85 balls for Yorkshire v Middlesex in the CB40 at Lords in 2011, with the majority of his scoring strokes being timed superbly.)
Yes exactly! He’s an entertainer – I love to be entertained. Like KP young Bairstow can change an innings for you.
I look at cricket with an artist’s eye. They say Morgan is an ODI player and I know his technique may not be without criticism but what I say is look at his wrists.
The way he can time the ball with a little flick of the wrists. That’s why I say he could have been a tennis player. I would pay money to see him bat.
It’s like the great Danny Blanchflower told me: ‘the talk is always easier than the game. It’s easy to play sport from the sidelines Paul, just like it’s easier to draw when you’re just looking on’.
Do you see similarities from the inspiration required to be an artist to being a sportsman?
Definitely. I never know when I’m going to draw well or when it feels so difficult, as if I’ve got a pair of boxing gloves on.
I always remember that line by Paul Newman in ‘The Hustler’ when he says the cue becomes an extension of your arm but you don’t know why. I don’t analyse why some days I can draw perfectly and others I can’t.
I recall asking Keith Miller how he played a particular shot and he simply said ‘Paul can you teach me how to draw? How you draw?’ I shook my head.
‘There you go then,’ he said. ‘I can’t teach you to play cricket and you can’t teach me to draw!’
But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to work hard. Far from it. No one makes it on talent alone. What talent does is make it easy, but you still have to work at it.
Look at Boycott, he stayed in the nets all day. He wasn’t the greatest player but he worked so hard and got his rewards.
You look at Rory McIlroy and wonder if he spends too much time with his tennis-playing girlfriend – look at what Fergie [Sir Alex Ferguson] said about [David] Beckham – that he let other things get in the way of his sport.
Nothing comes without hard work, even talented sportsmen need to know that – especially talented sportsmen.
Luckily I think the English cricket team know that at the moment!
With the roar of another Ashes series becoming ever louder, we all hope Paul’s fervent wish to be entertained comes true.
“You Are The Ref” by Paul and Keith Hackett is out now.
Follow Layth on twitter @laythy29
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