TOUGH ROAD FOR YOUNG PLAYERS

You made your Test debut quite late and looking at so many of the Aussie batsmen coming into the team, they’re all much younger. Seeing some of the struggles they’ve had are you grateful that it took you so long?

ADon’t get me wrong, I would’ve loved an opportunity earlier. All you could do was just bide your time, score as many runs as possible in Shield, club and county cricket and just hope that one day an opportunity comes up. Luckily for me it did. The bonus for me was that I gained a lot of experience and I understood my game really well. Having that experience gave me a better chance of having success. In some ways I feel a lot for the younger players that are given an opportunity they’re probably not ready for. They’re trying to figure out their own game as well as deal with the off-field distractions like the media, sponsors, fans and the adulation that comes with it. I certainly felt it, even as a more experienced player.

They also probably haven’t hit the volume of balls in the nets that you had. It’s about repetitions as well, isn’t it?

AAbsolutely. Batting is such a long journey to master and even when you retire you haven’t mastered it by any means. Being exposed can be good for your development. They’ll learn some really tough lessons. I just hope it doesn’t scar them too much if things don’t go to plan. I think they’ll get better with more opportunities.