'I Was Wronged by Gauteng'
Thu, Jan 1, '04
(Republished from Jamaica Observer)
I came off the flight (in Johannesburg) and got to the ground the same morning and had to take the field. The club captain, Hylton Ackerman Jnr greeted me by saying I was expected to play and gave me my gears saying, 'welcome and congrats, pro, you are here we are taking the field now...'
During the game I got five wickets - four in the first innings and one in the second innings. We lost the game but based on what the guys said, they were happy with my performance and so forth.
The second game I played was a week after I got there. I took two wickets in my first spell and went to bowl the second spell from the other end. And that is when I felt the strain, so I stopped in my run-up tried to stretch it and it's as if my body gave way. But at the same time I didn't feel any pain.
About the fourth delivery of the over I started to feel the pain. Then I came off the field and found that I had strained my lower back. I had physiotheraphy and the doctors did X-rays and MRI tests and so on. Basically they all said that it (injury) was caused by dehydration of the muscle because of the long flight, overwork and not resting properly.
So for the third game (four days) in Cape Town they left me out because they wanted me to be rested for the one-dayers. I stayed home, did the resting, did nothing at all. When the team came back I spoke to the captain. He asked me about preparing for the first one-dayers. I told him I am not a 100 per cent but I can bowl nine overs (it was a 45-over game).
I played the game, bowled 6.1 overs and took two wickets. I had taken pills because the doctor said I needed to take it to avoid pain. I didn't feel any pain as such, but I could feel that the injury was still there. They guys said 'well bowled' and the team won.
Going into the next game (another one-dayer) I was asked how I felt. I told them, 'much better than last week', and I went into the game feeling much better. I bowled a little faster, but didn't pick up any wickets. In the last over I bowled, I can say I did poorly.
The opposition needed 16 runs to win in that final over and they got the runs. I knew I bowled badly. I think the decision regarding me was based on that game in which I bowled badly. After that I saw the separation of the guys (team-mates) and the coach from me. At the same time I wasn't expecting any petting from anybody because I did badly.
After that in the middle of the week (a Wednesday) they named the team to travel and they didn't name me in that. I asked why I was not named, they told me it was because West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) had called to ask if I was fit and if they were willing to let me go. The coach said he had given the WICB the okay ... He said that based on what was asked of them by the West Indies Board they concluded that I would be asked to replace Taylor in the West Indies team.
When they came back from the away game, which they had won, the coach called me to say he wanted a meeting with me in his office. I went and met with him and he told me that I wouldn't be taking any further part in the one-day programme.
He (Gauteng's coach) said I would have to wait until somebody gets injured or until the four-days games begin in mid-February before I could play again. I said, 'no, I want to play.' He said what he could do for me is send me home (back to Jamaica).
I went to practice after that because I didn't want to be in breach of my contract. During practice I got a lot of pressure, and was asked to bowl for a long time.
I complained that I was getting dehydrated and it was time to stop. After some argument the coach took the ball from me and said I should stop 'crying'. On my way out, another player suggested the authorities were trying to frustrate me into committing a breach so they could have an excuse for ending my contract.
On my way home I called the coach and requested a meeting with him and the CEO. The CEO told me at the meeting that when he was looking for a fast bowler to replace others who had been there before, he heard about this energetic fast bowler from the Caribbean, who had a lot of firepower... He asked around the Caribbean about me, including Sir Everton Weekes, Desmond Haynes, Andy Roberts and Eldine Baptise and they said 'yes, that's the right guy'.
After that, the CEO said, I came in off the long flight and got five wickets in the game and he said 'yes this is what I am looking for, I've found the right bowler.' But after the injury he said I didn't bowl with that fire and pace anymore. So I said to the CEO, 'tell me something, if somebody is coming back from a back injury how do you expect that a week's rest could get him to bowl at top pace immediately'.
He said it was not his call, it was the coach and selectors' call. The coach Shukri Conrad then said I was looking for excuses. On top of which he suggested I wasn't good enough for his team. I said 'if I am not good enough for your team, pay me and send me home'. They stopped the meeting at that time and the CEO said they would get back to me during the week.
They called me back and said everything was sorted out and it was up to me when I want to go home. I made the decision to go home the following Monday and that was it. They didn't pay me for the whole season. They paid me for the month I was there and a further three and a half thousand US dollars and that was it.
As far as I am concerned I wasn't treated properly after the game which I lost. From what I've learnt from the CEO it's all about me bowling fast. I believe if I had bowled fast or at top pace in the game I lost, I would be still there playing. Everything was okay when I got there and was performing. But after the one game I bowled poorly in, that is when I was treated roughly.
When you come back to bowl after a back injury and you are not fully fit you aint going to bowl at top pace. And if you are bowling it's going to be at the back of your mind that something is there, not to push it. I am not making excuses but what I am saying is I could not bowl top pace with that injury.
I would like to say to anyone wanting to take up a similar contract, make sure there are certain things written down before you start. Certain clauses must be there. Because people will try to use what are in contracts against you. You should talk with a lawyer or your agent ... to make sure you are covered if things go wrong and in case of injury and so forth. If I knew then what I know now, my contract would have been better worded.
For me, a positive side to the experience in South Africa was the facilities that were available. In the nets there were cameras at all angles.... After the net session you could go into the changing room and look at exactly what you did wrong. The technology showed your errors in length, direction ... if your technique is faulty it's there for you to see. One of the most exciting things was their recovery methods including the ice bath. I think that's something we need in the Caribbean to help fast bowlers, after a long day's play. After bowling and getting in the ice bath and getting out on the field for the second, third, fourth day you feel awesomely good.
The ice bath involves basically a large drum filled with ice and water and you have to get in there for about half a minute, then you get in the hot shower. As soon as you start feeling the heat you get back in the ice bath for another half a minute. You do that three times each evening and the next morning you come out to play as if you haven't played cricket for two, three years.
* This article was first published in the Jamaica Observer newspaper.
