Darren Lehmann - Worth the Wait: My Playing Career

DARREN
LEHMANN

DARREN
LEHMANN

Worth the Wait

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Published in 2004 by
Hardie Grant Books
85 High Street
Prahran, Victoria 3181, Australia
www.hardiegrant.com.au

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of the publishers and copyright holders.

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Copyright text Darren Lehmann 2004

National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication Data:

Lehmann, Darren. Worth the wait.

ISBN 1 74066 161 3.

1. Lehmann, Darren. 2. Cricket players Australia

Biography. I. Title.

796.3580994

Design and typesetting by Andrew Cunningham, Studio Pazzo
Printed and bound in Australia by Griffin Books

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Every attempt has been made to contact copyright holders.
The publishers would like to hear from any copyright holders
who may have been omitted or not attributed.

To my beautiful wife Andrea and my four children, Jake,
Tori, Amy and Ethan, who have been so wonderful and
supportive while I have pursued my dream.

Also to my Mother, who has sacrificed so much for me.
Mum, you have given me so much love and the
motivation to strive for my goals. I am truly thankful.

Getty Images/Stu Forster

CONTENTS

BY RICKY PONTING
AND ADAM GILCHRIST

S ometimes in this world of big-business cricket, where sponsorship deals, television ratings and the corporate dollar are valued almost as highly as wickets or runs, it is easy for todays players to lose sight of why we play the game.

The temptation is there to be seduced by the money and fame. The distractions are there to help us forget the reasons we fell in love with cricket as kids, but if ever one needs reminding about what it means to be an international player, they should simply scroll down the Australian batting list and stop at number five. The name will read Darren Scott Lehmann and he will reveal just what it means to pull on the baggy green cap.

From my perspective as Australian captain, Boof sets an example for us all by reinforcing the idea that we play cricket not for riches, but for enjoyment, mateship and the thrill of the contest, the very same values that see kids around the world playing in the park, the backyard or the driveway. That theory was one of many he shared with his great mate David Hookes, who inspired Darren to reach for great heights.

What Darren probably doesnt realise is that he has inspired us all with his courage in dealing with Hookesys tragic passing and emphasised just how special the camaraderie is among our team. I am proud to call Boof my mate and consider myself honoured to have been asked to contribute to this book.

What he brings to the team is a common-sense, no-nonsense approach, coupled with a fine cricket brain and an eccentric dose of humour. He is always there to provide me with sound advice and in team meetings he is never short of a quick one liner to liven things up. Every team could do with Darren in its line-up.

While his outlook on life, cricket nous and raw ability to destroy an attack make him a shining example to his teammates, perhaps the same cant be said about his approach to physical fitness. He somehow manages to avoid the fitness coach and diet experts and his body shape better resembles a beer keg than an elite athletes.

But that wouldnt worry Boof. Put a beer or smoke in his hand and he is a happy man. Mention the Adelaide Crows and he is even happier. Beer, cigarettes and footy he is without doubt a throwback to yesterdays cricketer.

But the more I think about Darrens attitude to fitness, the more I realise that its for a reason. Just prior to last season he thought that, for the first time in his career, hed try to get himself in shape by running each day. The result? A torn Achilles tendon and an extended stay on the sidelines! I just remember him telling the so-called experts, I told you so and vowing never to subject himself to another fitness regime. Just as well he can bat!

Yet its that approach that gives him a unique appeal. Saturday afternoon park cricketers probably see a bit of themselves in Boof. Hes a player they can relate to.

Ill never forget his First Test hundred, in April 2003 against the West Indies in Trinidad. It epitomised his nature. Once he found his feet, he terrorised a wilting attack in hot Caribbean conditions to reach 160. Fittingly, once he registered triple figures, an Australian fan clambered over the cyclone fence surrounding the ground, raced to the centre and offered him a can of beer. Boof couldnt have scripted the celebration any better.

For a man who has been written off by critics plenty of times, who knows where Darrens cricket will take him given his outstanding run of form. Another World Cup perhaps?

One thing I do know is that whatever he does, it will be done with a smile on his face and without any regrets. Thats an example to us all.

Ricky Ponting

H ow do you write a few serious words about a guy who sports the nicknames Boof and Shrek?

A man who has provided us all with so much entertainment on the cricket field and with so many laughs and great memories as a mate off it.

A bloke who mischief classifies as a close companion, and who is always in the thick of the practical-joke action.

How do you get serious about a bloke who continues to defy all modern science and technology in regards to what it takes to be a professional athlete? Yes, it is a rare occasion when the word athlete is used in a descriptive sense for Darren Lehmann! Hes a cricketer who, on scoring brilliant centuries in stifling conditions in the sub-continent, returns to the rooms at lunchbreak, has a couple of cans of soft drink and a few puffs on a cigarette, then goes back out and starts again with minimal fuss.

All this while many of the super-fit new-age players with carefully considered diets and training routines have cramped and crumbled in the very same heat and humidity.

The rare times Ive seen Darren Lehmann get even remotely serious have usually been when the beer runs out in the change-rooms or when his beloved Adelaide Crows have suffered a heavy defeat.

But at the start of 2004, Boof, like the rest of the cricketing world, was stunned at the tragic death of his good mate David Hookes. It was a difficult time as everyone rallied to deal with the shock and sadness, but there are two specific moments I recall that reveal much about Darren and his make-up as a person.

The first was at the Allan Border Medal presentation as rising Aussie singing sensation Shannon Noll was performing an emotional tribute to Hooksey. Although I was sitting next to Darren and his wife Andrea, it was only on the big television screen in the room that I noticed the tears streaming down his face as the pictures were beamed live around the country. Like many in the cricketing world, he was hurting at the death of David and, true to form, he wasnt going to be ashamed to show how he was feeling. Anybody who has dealt with Darren will know there are no hidden agendas; he plays his cards straight and honestly.