How joy turned to grief for Mott
WOMEN’S World Cup-winning guru Matthew Mott has spoken of the emotional rollercoaster of being appointed England’s new men’s coach and losing his best mate Andrew Symonds within 24 hours.
Mott, who coached Australia’s women’s team and was a teammate of Symonds in the Queensland cricket team, was riding the high of landing one of world cricket’s best gigs when he noticed the missed call and text from another former teammate, Michael Kasprowicz (reading “I’ve got horrible news”), that 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).”
Mott is one of five close friends of Symonds who will speak at his public funeral in Townsville on Friday.
They first bonded as teens playing in Queensland junior cricket carnivals, before Symonds moved to the Gold Coast and they united at Palm Beach-Currumbin. 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 at the Bulls Masters in Cairns, where old stories were shared.
He remembered fondly how Symonds– who debuted on the same day as him for Queensland – would label all his clothes because he had a habit of losing them.
“He got a big black pen out and was writing on the tag of his Shield shirts ‘ROY’, ” said Mott. “He started writing it on the tag of his one-day shirt too, which already had ‘SYMONDS’ plastered across the back. I said: ‘I think we’ll know whose that one is mate.’ And he giggled away.”
It’s this humour and ability to lighten the mood that not only brought Mott so close to Symonds but has helped him communicate so successfully in marshalling Australia’s world champion women.
“I definitely think humour plays a big part in an elite environment,” said Mott. “Male or female you first and foremost need as a coach to get a connection with your playing group and understand them.”
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.
“They’re a good team. I like the way they’re setting up,” he said of England.