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.
“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.”
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.”
JohnB
Guest
I don't actually disagree regarding Cutting if we're talking test cricket. On his figures though he should at least be talked about with (or in most cases ahead of) the others mentioned in this article. Faulkner does have a little better career figures than him, although I don't really see how he gets in the test team anyway. Maybe Marsh will kick on (figures-wise, he'd need to). Maybe Henriques will become good enough to get in a test side as a batsman (because his bowing is not much more of a factor than say Steve Smith's at the moment). Abbot - shouldn't be in the conversation at this stage.
jammel
Guest
Can Abbott really bowl at 145kmph+? I haven't seen that. Agree Joel on Cutting. I have never thought his bowling is particularly threatening…or economical. And he generally comes on as a change bowler. My view on the likes of Cutting and Faulkner is that if they want to get ahead, they should really be asking for the new ball as much as possible - especially Faulkner. I saw Cutting came on as the sixth bowler the other day in the 50 over stuff…he's got to aim for more than that I think.
Joel
Roar Rookie
Still not sold on Ben Cutting. He goes alright but his bowling never really looks threatening. He's not quick enough for Lehmann's liking, he doesn't really swing the ball. It's mostly straight up and down. We tend to celebrate players that can bowl 145km/h plus, and Abbott is capable of that. Same reason everyone goes out of their mind when they hear Pat Cummins is fit..because he fast. It helps that they can both hold a bat too but it's pace that's the catalyst.
JohnB
Guest
And, to be fair to Abbott, on figures Cutting is also far more of an all-rounder than Marsh (slightly worse batting average, way better bowler) and Henriques (worse batting average by 6, way better bowler) and only just behind Faulkner (6 worse in batting average, similar bowling)
Sideline Comm.
Guest
So true. I was myself wondering where this fella came from. He's obviously got some talent, but let him build on it. His figures are far too un-spectacular for all this talk.
JohnB
Guest
In what sense is a bloke with a first class batting average below 13 an all-rounder? To be fair, his bowling figures (2.5 wickets per game at 34) would be pretty handy, if he was a batting all-rounder. No doubt he's got ability, and maybe he's just had a bit of a bad trot (he's only played 13 FC games) but shouldn't he put in some performance before being labelled a "star" and touted as a world cup prospect? I'm puzzled how his figures to date see him selected on merit ahead of Ben Cutting (given Cutting's been playing and so doesn't seem to be injured) or regarded as more of an all-rounder (Cutting in FC averages a shade over 25 with the bat, a shade under 27 with the ball, taking 3.6 wickets per game). Maybe they just wanted to take a look at him a level up for future reference.
FTR
Guest
Are you sure this bloke is Australian? I can't wait till he meets David Warner.