Joy and pain for Mott
New England coach reflects on his friendship with Andrew Symonds
WOMEN’S World Cup-winning guru Matthew Mott has spoken of the emotional rollercoaster he went on being appointed England’s new men’s coach and losing his best mate Andrew Symonds within 24 hours.
The announcement Mott will take charge of England’s white ball teams was deceptively groundbreaking by the ECB, because it recognised his history-making achievements as Australian women’s coach as being on par with anything that could be accomplished in a men’s program.
Mott admits missing out to Andrew McDonald as Justin Langer’s replacement for the Australian men’s job “lit a fuse” in him that it was time to seek a new challenge, and he will now coach against his own country – in his own country – at this year’s Twenty20 World Cup tournament.
However, as Mott was riding the high of landing one of world cricket’s most plum gigs, he came back to his phone to discover a missed call and a text from Michael Kasprowicz (reading “I’ve got horrible news”) which would change everything.
“I don’t think I’ve ever gone through a range of emotions like that,” Mott said of his reaction to being told his best mate since his teenage years had died in a car accident.
“Where something so exciting turns to something so dreadful.
“(I’m) coming to terms with it. There’s no real script or playbook with that.
“It was not much more than 24 hours (between getting England job and Symonds’ passing). I had that day where I found out and I tried to get as much ringing around as I could around the (Australian women’s) staff and playing group because I know these things tend to get out pretty quickly. It was literally the next day, I received a missed call off Michael Kasprowicz … I rang him back and the next day was a bit of a blur to be honest.
“I’m pretty determined to honour him this week and spend some time with his family up in Townsville before the funeral (on Friday).”
Mott said he’d started to have “the seven-year itch” and admits he had a feeling when Australia won the 50-over World Cup final in New Zealand back in April that he might not be back.
“I’ve never had that feeling before. After the final, I really wanted to enjoy those celebrations knowing I had a feeling it could be the last time I was with the team,” he said.
Mott is one of Symonds’ five best mates who will speak at his public funeral in Townsville. They first bonded as teenagers playing in Queensland junior cricket carnivals, before Symonds moved to the Gold Coast and they united at the same club Palm BeachCurrumbin.
Playing for district club Gold Coast Dolphins they shared in a 446-run partnership in an under 19s match before a club official asked them to retire.
“I was walking off and Andrew was still marking centre. I said, ‘come on mate, you’ve got to come as well,’ and he said, “Oh, come on, what happens if we lose a couple of wickets?’. “I had to drag him off.” Mott spent the week following the devastating news surrounded by mates of his and Symonds at the Bulls Masters in Cairns.
As he looks beyond this difficult week, Mott is excited for the adventure ahead – taking his young family back to the UK and joining forces with England Test coach Brendon McCullum and ECB’s head of cricket Rob Key.