David Bernard Jr: Heart and Commitment

Sun, Jan 9, '11

by MICHELLE MCDONALD

During Jamaica’s training camp ahead of the Caribbean T20, newly appointed coach Gus Logie experimented with the batting line up during trial games.  All-rounder David Bernard Jr was moved up the order.....way up the order.......opening the batting instead of coming in at number 7 or 8.  

Those unfamiliar with the 29 year old cricketer’s career may have been surprised by that move, but to him, it was like coming full circle.   This Jamaica College alumni started his First Class career as an opener when he played for the West Indies ‘B’ team in 2001 in his debut season.

Questions surrounding the captaincy of the T20 team were recently asked when club mate Wavell Hinds was named to lead the Jamaica team. “Why not David Bernard Jr?” some asked. After all, he had just returned from leading the West Indies ‘A’ team against Pakistan, and not with disgrace.

What would players expect if he were captain? What is his leadership style? Which captain has he admired the most? David Bernard Jr talked about captaincy, family, how he came to start playing cricket when football was in his blood, and about that first Test match against the then mighty Australians in 2003, when CaribbeanCricket.com sat down with him in Grenada, after the ‘A’ team’s diabolical performance in the second One Day match against Pakistan last November.
 
Editor’s note: After this interview, David Bernard was removed as Jamaica’s primary Physical Trainer.

MM: As Captain, what do you say to a team after that batting non-performance in the second One Day match?
DB: Well you try to motivate the batsmen to get better performances. As batsmen, we haven’t been performing to our true potential throughout the entire series. I think if we come to the fore, then we will see a definite change in the series.
 
So was that what you said to them in the meeting after the match?
Yes, that’s what we said. We pointed out the mistakes and we highlighted those, and at the end we motivate, because it’s not about criticizing to keep them down. You criticize people to make them better. We as batsmen, we accept our criticism and hope to make amends.
 
What’s your style as a captain?
I try to incorporate the opinions of others because I see captaining a cricket team, not as a one man job, so you have to get the opinion of others because it’s 11 people out on the field and you have to take their thoughts into consideration. The final decision is down to the captain, but I try to get second opinions.
 
If you do that, do you think the team will say “but he’s the captain”, or do you feel they appreciate the inclusive style?
I think the team has appreciated the inclusive style. It makes them feel more a part of the team and not just decisions being made by one person. Everybody has a significant contribution to make.
 
How did you find out you had been selected to captain the West Indies ‘A’ team?
I was told by Mr Clyde Butts [Chairman of Selectors] back in Jamaica, during the [2010] regional tournament.
 
What was your reaction?
I was happy, not surprised, because I was Vice Captain to the ‘A’ Team tour in England, and actually skippered one game when Devon Smith was injured. So the experience as captain is not entirely new to me, but to be appointed Captain was great. I didn’t see it as a challenge. I saw it as an opportunity to show what I can do. It’s a learning experience for me as well. It brings out things in my personality that should let me do well.
 
You said you weren’t surprised, but other persons looking on may have been surprised at the Selectors’ decision.  Apart from hearing about you captaining Jamaica practice teams, and sharing the captaincy of your club - Kensington - with Wavell Hinds, your name has not really been associated with captaincy.  What do you know about yourself that we don’t know, that you think would have justified the Selectors’ decision?
I have been perceived as a responsible person, somebody who maintains a high level of discipline and I think those two are synonymous with leadership. I might not have captained Jamaica other than in trial games and at the club level, but a leader is seen by people, even if he is not the Captain and the mere fact that I was Vice Captain to the tour of England, there must have been some intention of me being captain at some point. As I said, it wasn’t surprising to me.  I was happy for it, and I am looking forward to the opportunity.
 
In your opinion, what makes a good captain?
A good captain is receptive. You have to be firm in your decision making. You have to have a good head on you to be aware of situations. It’s about making right decisions.
 
And I guess those cricket decisions would have to come from a good knowledge of cricket.
Yes it does. On the field knowledge, looking at information off the field...those play a big part in making decisions.
 
Looking back at your career so far, which captain did you enjoy playing under the most, and why?
I’d have to say Robert Samuels. I have played under good captains for Jamaica. But I think the stand out captain has been Robert Samuels. He is a very philosophical person. I learnt a lot from him. The crop of Jamaican cricketers now, a few of us had the privilege of being around while he was captain. He tried to impart knowledge at every chance, so I’d say he has been the most influential.
 
Have you adopted some of his practices in how you captain?
Well I try to be philosophical. He is someone who plays according to the conditions. I think I have tried to adopt that in my game.  He captains on what he sees, and the trends. It worked for him so that part I try to adopt.
 
What do you think are your strengths as a captain?
I try to get everybody involved. I try my best to motivate them, and I try to lead from my energy.
 
And as a cricketer generally?
I try to adapt to the conditions, whatever they are, I try to deal with it. I try to be dynamic as a cricketer. I am an all-rounder so I guess that’s a strength – my all around ability.
 
You bat lower down the order, but you initially opened for West Indies ‘B’ team in your debut First Class season in 2001, and for Jamaica the following year.  Explain how the transition from opener to lower order batsman happened.
I wasn’t bowling that brilliantly. Initially, getting in the Jamaica team I batted in the upper middle order and opened a few times in trial games. I was bowling off-spin. After a season around the Jamaica team, I started bowling fast medium. I used to bowl medium pace when I was in school.

So why did you change?
I wasn’t being that successful at bowling off-spin. A close friend of mine [Selly Mitchell] said “well you used to bowl medium pace in school so why not go back to that?” I have the ability to swing the ball so he said do that and see what happens. Getting into the West Indies ‘B’ team and Jamaica team, it was more as a batsman. I didn’t do much bowling. In my season with the ‘B’ team, I did a bit of bowling throughout the season. After that I continued increasing the bowling load and eventually it lead to me being given the title of an all-rounder.
 
Ok, and dropping down the order, where you found more success.
Yes, you find that in teams there are specialist batsmen. You have all-rounders who do bat in the top, but sometimes it has to do with the composition of the team so basically that’s what happened. I move a few places down the order, but I am still expected to give a good contribution with the bat and the ball.
 
Let’s go back to when you first started playing cricket. When was that?
As a kid, my dad always used to have some cricket tapes that I used to watch. He worked at a sports shop so I had a bat. From then, I used to play cricket out in the yard. I loved football when I was small because my Dad played for Jamaica. I used to follow him to Masters League games. I used to go with him on the weekends to football games. I only started playing cricket competitively when I went to Jamaica College (JC). I was on all age group teams.
 
I actually started playing by chance. They were having a House cricket competition, and a friend of mine knew that I could play cricket (he knew me before I went to JC). I was on my way home and he and I were in the same House.   The team was short and he knew I had a bit of knowledge about cricket and that I could play. He saw me walking and he asked me if I would play because they were short. I ended up taking 5 wickets for 3 runs! The cricket coach (Egbert King) saw me and from then, that was my introduction to competitive cricket. At that time, I wasn’t playing for Kensington as yet. I used to go to the training but probably I wasn’t old enough to fit into any of the competitions.
 
When did you decide that you wanted to make cricket your career?
Even then, I didn’t decide. Most of my father’s friends thought that I would make it in football because I was a good enough player then. I played in the under-13 competition but after that, I got into the national under 15 cricket programme so cricket consumed most of my time so I ended up not playing as much football then.  In 1999, I represented the U-19, so that was basically the start of it.
 
Did your school work suffer?
No. I’m from a sporting background. My sisters played sports during high school. In my house, they promote both sports and education so even though I was training, they always ensured that I still had the academic background. It didn’t falter. I left JC after 5th form and went to Quality Academics where I did ‘A’ Levels.
 
It’s every cricketer’s dream to play at the highest level.  Your opportunity came in 2003.  Describe what it felt like to represent the West Indies against Australia.
It was an unbelievable experience then because I was just learning the trade of an all-rounder. It was a very fast ride. It didn’t go as I expected, but being introduced to international cricket, it was a good experience.
 
You mentioned when I spoke with you about it five years ago, that Shiv [Chanderpaul] had a knee injury and the fitness test wasn’t done until the morning so you weren’t mentally prepared. You also did say that that wasn’t an excuse. Do you think that the Australians intimidated you?
I wouldn’t say intimidated. Cricket is a tough game. I was told that the bat, the ball, the stumps, the pitch, all the things in cricket are tough so you the individual have to be tough as well. It was more or less not being prepared properly for the challenges.
 
You had had a good First Class season that year, which might have explained your selection. Looking back at what happened, would you have wanted to get more First Class cricket under your belt before being selected for the senior team?
It’s the nature of our First Class season, probably five games. So sometimes you’d wait another year to play five games. If you are good enough to perform against the best that we have in the Caribbean, then you are good enough to represent the region. That’s my take on it
 
But that was only your third season.
Well that’s three seasons of First Class cricket.
 
So you think that was enough.
Yes. You have three good seasons so far and then you wait until the next year and the next one is a bad one, you want to be selected at the end of a bad one? No you wouldn’t. So get it while the going is good.
 
There was a six year break between your first and second Tests.  During that time, what were your thoughts about your prospects of playing for the West Indies again?
I was always optimistic of playing for the West Indies again. After my experiences in 2003, the next couple of years were spent on understanding what the role of an all- rounder is and improving my overall game, including mentally.
 
How does a cricketer stay the course and continue working, despite being overlooked year after year?
Well I still have to play for Jamaica and that is a very competitive set up. So even if I am not playing for the West Indies, representing Jamaica would keep me competitive. You have to keep performing to maintain your place. You’re not going to play for the national team because you have represented the West Indies already. You have to keep performing and keep showing them what you can do. Year after year, I still have to be doing that. That kept me going, and still I remained very optimistic about representing the West Indies.
 
People have different views about what each territory’s selection policy should be. Some people think that the selectors should look for the people who have the potential to go on to play West Indies cricket to fill the team, rather than stick with people who have been there for 10 years and have no hope of being selected again.  What’s your view on that?
People have to realize that not everybody will represent the West Indies team. If you look at First Class cricket set ups around the world, you have a lot of good players, but they will never represent their region. You don’t want to be saying that you are only looking for people that can play for the West Indies. Ideally, everyone who represents their country has aspiration of playing for their region. But it is just a fact of life that everybody won’t represent the West Indies.
 
So you will have people making a career out of First Class cricket but will never represent the West Indies and you can’t determine somebody’s future because you don’t deem him as somebody who can represent the West Indies. If he is good enough to play for his country, he is good enough to play for his country. If he is good enough, he’ll go on to the next level.
 
But let’s say you had a wicketkeeper who was 36 and you had an up and coming wicketkeeper who you needed to get some exposure, you need him to get some First Class games. Who would you pick?
Well a cricketing career only goes on to a certain age. You won’t play at a certain level unless you are very very good once you pass a certain age. And I think those kinds of transitions will happen naturally. And if you go about it the right way, there won’t be any animosity. It’s a transition. People who are playing now won’t be playing probably 10 years down the line. New people will replace them.  It’s just a part of life, things go on for a period of time and then ends and then something new begins.
 
So you suggest that the younger wicketkeeper is phased in while the older one continues to contribute.
Yes, if he is good enough he’ll be around and if he is determined and dedicated enough, he will make use of his opportunities.
 
You spoke about your father.  He has been Jamaica’s physical trainer for a number of years.  What is it like to have your father around you during training and cricket matches?
It’s good. While I am around the Jamaica cricket team, I don’t really see him as my Dad. He’s just the trainer then. When we are going home [he laughs], the conversation will get a little more intimate in terms of a father and a son. But while we are around the Jamaica set up, it is a player relating to the Trainer and not a father relating to a son. I think we have done a good job of that and it’s been good.
 
You haven’t found it difficult to switch roles?
Not that difficult. Well sometimes I know he wants to see me perform but he doesn’t show it. His ability to control that has helped me a lot and me understanding that, it helps me to go about my game with a little less pressure.
 
He was in the military as well. What values and work ethics did he instil in you, which have been useful to you in your career?
Discipline and training. I’ve been around watching him play football and watching him train since I was a child so I think I have benefitted a lot from that. That has helped me, both in personal discipline in how he maintains his conditioning. I’ve really learnt a lot from that. He didn’t really have to say much about that. I watched and from his example I learnt a lot.
 
So you won’t be one of the players that they write reports about and say that they don’t like to train.
I’ve always been training. It’s a part of me. I like that side of it. I look forward to that. Training and being trained and being active.
 
Your nickname is Scorcher....where did that come from?
At my father’s workplace, a friend of his said “you can’t have two ‘Bernies’.” So he said my father is Big Bernie and I am Little Scorch. Bern = Burn. Scorch. The name spread because the same friend who roped me in to cricket at high school, we were at the shop one day and he heard them calling me Little Scorcher and Scorcher. At school, he started calling me Scorcher and everybody just started calling me that. It spread to the club and the rest is history.
 
And you have another one which I think your sisters gave you? Don?
Yes, actually it was my Dad who gave me that because I am the only boy.
 
How does it feel being the only boy among eight sisters? How was that growing up?
I didn’t find any problem with it. People will say I am spoilt but I’m not. I learnt a lot from my sisters. They themselves were athletes as they played sports while they were going to school. They were not soft girls. While I was playing cricket, they were playing sports as well. Apart from not having a brother, I had real fun growing up.
 
So did they teach you how to wash and iron and cook?
Everything. They taught me how to do that. When I was younger, I had to do it to learn it but when I got older, they did it for me. But they know that I know how to do it, but they will do it for me.
 
How would you describe your personality?
I am easy going, quiet and very determined. I get bored easily sometimes.
 
Do you get bored while batting, when nothing is happening for you?
No no no. But yeah, I get bored easily. I am an easy going person. I don’t really get angry.  It has to be something really bad.
 
So that means that if I am a player on your team and I do something bad, you won’t shout at me?
Well in the heat of battle, you won’t expect me to talk soft, but outside of that, there are lines. When we are playing, you have to have your game face on. But it doesn’t mean I will be too soft on you if you are consistently making errors. In the heat of battle you have to ‘g’ people up.
 
When you are not playing cricket, how do you spend your time?
That’s a hard question because I’m always playing cricket. When I am home, I like to go for long drives. I find maybe a waterfalls to go to in the country, and somewhere we can eat.
 
Favourite parish?
I’ve been to Portland a couple of times. My mum and dad are from Trelawny. Every chance I get, I go to visit my granddad by my mum’s side. Trelawny is my favourite parish overall.
 
What’s your favourite food?
I’d have to say the yam my grandfather grows.
 
The same one that [Usain] Bolt eats.
Well, the white one. I eat yellow yam, but I prefer the white one. When I go there, they can’t give me any rice. Whatever meat kind they cook and the yam, that is my favourite dish.
 
Well yam is better than rice. Do you pay attention to your nutrition?
My mum is a very good cook. She cooks good stuff for me. I don’t eat fatty things but it’s not something I have to worry about with the meals that are prepared We have a good proper healthy food situation back home.
 
So you clearly understand the connection between nutrition and your performance on the field.
Yes, I do.
 
Are you on Twitter or Facebook or any of those social media sites?
Yes, I am on Facebook. I’m not somebody who lives on Facebook. I don’t live my life on Facebook. People I have on it are mainly family or close friends. I generally just don’t tend to add random people.
 
As a captain, would you give any thought to what you posted on any of these media sites?
I don’t post anything in regards to cricket on Facebook. I will make jokes with my family and friends but I’m not one to go on Facebook, if I had a bad day, to go and write about it. I’m very sceptical about that. Even if somebody will try and leave a comment on my page about a performance, I try to tell them you can do it, but don’t go over the top with it. If people are offended, I just want them to understand that Facebook is not my life, it’s just a social site that I keep connected with people. If you are doing things on Facebook, be very mindful of what you are posting, and don’t go over the top.
 
The West Indies Cricket Board recently offered you a Retainer Contract, which was upgraded from a Development Contract when three players declined their contract.  What does having a Retainer Contract mean to you?
There is a lot of responsibility that comes with a Retainer Contract. It didn’t change my mindset when I heard that I was offered a ‘D’ contract then hearing that I was offered a ‘C’ contract. My aim is to improve who I am as a person and who I am as a cricketer. Regardless of what the class of contract was, I was still committed to working as hard as I am. There is a responsibility that comes with it. It’s not just being retained. You have to make sure your performances are on par, to reward the selectors for their faith in you.
 
And there are fitness stipulations?
Yes, we are just coming from a camp in Barbados where we were tested and we will be tested in the near future. So you have to keep yourself in tip top condition. I am usually one who does well on fitness tests. It’s not something I worry about. It’s something I look forward to. I am always training. I like to be fit. When I imagine myself, I don’t ever imagine myself unfit.
 
For a few years, you played for Fleetwood Hesketh in England. The fact that you have a retainer contract, does it mean you don’t have to go overseas anymore, or you can’t?
When I went to England to play League cricket, then I wasn’t on a retainer contract. Now that I have a retainer, I don’t have to go to England, but at the same time, maybe you have to be more committed. When I played League cricket in England, sometimes I only played a couple of games for my club during the season.
 
If you had the opportunity to implement programmes to help cricket in the West Indies, what would you put in place?
Something to standardize things throughout each territory in the region. Sometimes that is where we are lacking. Although we are separated, we can find ways to standardize things, in terms of the way cricket is delivered. I think it would be good for the region, to make sure the quality doesn’t drop from one territory to another. This includes how people are coached and other things.
 
If you hadn’t pursued a cricket career, what would you have chosen as a profession?
That’s a hard one. I started university [UTECH], I was doing Marketing. I was given a scholarship from Capital & Credit Bank. I was doing well, but to say what career I would have chosen, right now I couldn’t tell you because I really enjoy playing cricket. While doing that, the opportunity came when I was just getting in to the Jamaica set up in 2003. I took a leave of absence to play cricket. I haven’t been back, so I’m still on a leave of absence for the last 7 or 8 years.
 
Well I suppose they know where you are, since they would be reading about you. Ok, You’re 29 now.  What do you see yourself doing when you are 40?
I hope it’s something active! I still expect to be a fit person and being very active, involved in some field in cricket. I’ve done a bit of coaching in England. I’m a certified ECB Level 2 coach and I am looking to go higher with that as well, once I get the opportunity. I had experience coaching in England and it was pretty good.
 
What did you like about it?
I did a good job.
 
How did you know you did a good job?
From the feedback I got from the people I worked with, and seeing the development in the kids. I worked with the primary schools. Even with my own club, the U-15 team was very poor and they ended up somewhere like second.
 
On one of my internet searches, somebody from around that area described you as a real gentleman.
That’s good. I try to give a genuine effort with things. I go about things the way I was taught. I guess I was brought up well. All credit to the parents.
 
Do you plan to be a parent yourself?
Obviously! Definitively! My mum and dad gave me the opportunity to live life and to experience the good things in life so I’d want to give somebody that experience as well.
 
But time is marching on!
When it’s time for that, it will take care of itself. I’m 29, and arguably you have people younger than me who have kids, but you have people older than me haven’t got any. And people have gotten kids at ages way above mine. I’m 29 but the door is not shut, there is still time and there is never a perfect person but you want to find somebody who blends in well with who you are.
 
Any final words for the West Indies supporters?
Just as how they demand of the players that they have heart and commitment, I think supporters have to have heart and commitment as well. We as the players try, and should try, to play with heart and commitment. In recent times, a lot of things have got involved in West Indies cricket and we might have got side tracked a bit about the whole purpose and meaning of West Indies cricket but it’s something for players and fans alike to think about and have a bit more heart and commitment.