I still want to win the Ashes and World Cup!
What is your story?
I started playing cricket for West London Deaf, through my brother Satish, when I was 15.
To advance my development I went to Ilford’s indoor school, run by Nasser Hussain’s father, Joe. He pushed me to go further in my development and I eventually joined hearing club Stanmore, who had England stars Mark Ramprakash and Angus Fraser.
What was it like adjusting to a different environment?
I didn’t get into the first team for a couple of years but was encouraged to believe in myself by a teammate called Mark Stear. He thought I should be ahead of some of the other guys, so he was willing to drop himself to get me in the first team – I’ve never looked back from there.
Eventually I was asked by Hampshire to play some second XI games and that had me thinking that I was more than good enough.
Have you faced any barriers?
I went on tour with the county to Australia for more than a month but it was difficult due to communication barriers around the dressing room and in the bar, coach trips when all sorts of banter was going on.
So it felt like I was missing out on a lot but that’s life – it was still the tour of a lifetime. I don’t feel any barriers when I’m in the middle, running between the wicket is all down to eye contact and awareness.
What’s your favourite anecdote from your time with England Deaf?
When we were touring Australia and staying in university student accommodation, my buddy Jeffrey Kan slept in the next room to our coach Ron Young. He started knocking in his new bat with a wooden mallet at 1am – it was a thin wall!
What is your proudest achievement?
Again, there are too many to list but being awarded an MBE from the Queen, recommended by the ECB, due to my success in the 2011 tour to Australia with three back-to-back centuries. I scored 104no in a Test against Australia, then in ODIs, 124no against South Africa and 126no v Australia.
But what is there still left to be done?
A lot – ever since I made my tour debut with England to Australia when we lost five Tests, but I was named Man of the Series.
Again in 2004, having tried to save the first Test match at Sydney University. I batted eight hours to save the match but Australia were left celebrating with ten minutes left with me on 186no.
Then in 2011, we drew the Ashes – it is my burning ambition to win it before I retire.
It’s the same with the Deaf World Cup, having lost three World Cup finals over the last 20 years.