I’ve never been racist . . .so I can’t apologise
TIM BRESNAN on being caught up in Yorkshire’s race storm — plus his big plans now he’s retired
WHERE next? It is a question sports stars often consider with precision when hanging up the boots.
Not so Tim Bresnan, whose answer could as easily be the Great Wall of China as the Great Barrier reef.
For his close-of-play chapter is set to be a Phileas Fogg-style journey with wife hannah and their three children Max, Oliver and etta — although this circumnavigation of the globe could last 80 weeks rather than 80 days.
Bresnan, one of england’s most understated cricketers, is putting his possessions into storage and heading to Africa to begin a family adventure in April.
‘People we’ve told have been like, “Wow, that’s unbelievable”. Others say, “You’re absolutely nuts”. Some say both,’ he smiles. ‘But I just think, “Why not?”. It’s a big, wide world and not a scary place.
‘We are starting by relaxing in Cape Town for a holiday and then we’re going to travel through places like Botswana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, maybe Mozambique. We’ve got a loose plan, but it might change overnight or during the course of a day.’
Initially it includes safari, taking in the Victoria Falls, engaging in elephant conservation work and humanitarian projects, including a visit to a Kenyan village Max’s school teacher helped build when she was in her teens.
‘That’s a place he really wants to go. Not far from there, you can stand on the equator with one foot in the southern hemisphere and one foot in the northern hemisphere. That’s pretty cool.
‘We know people from all over the world and they’ve suggested destinations and adventures. If we can make it happen, we’ll definitely try it — the pyramids in egypt, Petra, the Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu.
‘Who knows where we will be this time next year? We are not working to any deadline and that sounds crazy, doesn’t it? We haven’t got one.’
What about the eight, six and four-year-old Bresnans? have mum, whose passion for travel developed in her youth, and dad, whose curiosity grew on england tours, factored in schooling? ‘Yeah! They will have an hour a week each with tutors on maths and english,’ the multiple Ashes winner reveals.
‘They’re used to learning online now and one thing lockdown taught us is they can miss a little bit of their education and be absolutely fine.
‘The real-world experience is going to be fantastic for them. I found it eye-opening to see different cultures and ways of life because of cricket. Now to see the world through a kid’s eyes will be a learning experience for us as parents.’
Bresnan, 36, is full of surprises. During lunch with Sportsmail, in which he reveals the bittersweet nature of his retirement last month, he says that decision will allow him to indulge another off-field passion — he is a master scuba diver.
‘I always said when I retired, I would go and buy a shack on the beach somewhere and run a dive school, which still might happen, who knows?’ he says.
‘I did my open water first course in Thailand as a teenager, then my advanced on the Great Barrier reef.’
Bresnan had no intention of pulling up stumps when he won his third County Championship with Warwickshire in September. Celebrations followed a similar theme to titles with his native Yorkshire in 2014 and 2015.
‘I can’t remember getting in, actually. The kids woke me up on the sofa next morning,’ he says.
‘The first thing hannah did was give me a glass of champagne and told me, “You look terrible, get that down you!”. happy days.’
Not so happy just a few weeks later when he was accused of bullying in Azeem rafiq’s parliamentary hearing and of unspecified allegations of racism in rafiq’s witness testimony.
Bresnan publicly apologised for fat-shaming. ‘There is a good chance I’ve walked into a dressing room and said, “All right ledge, you had a good Christmas” with a glance at the extra timber when we’ve come back for New Year’s training. Something of that nature. We’ve all done it,’ Bresnan says. ‘But I 100 per cent deny that I’ve ever been racist. I will never admit to that. And so, I cannot apologise for it.
‘To be accused of it disappointed me and being instructed not to say anything by solicitors and clubs who were basically trying to protect themselves all felt wrong to me.’
Bresnan’s local MP is Julian Knight, chair of the committee. he has attempted to contact him to discuss the situation, without success. But he has had regular contact with ex-Yorkshire physio Kunwar Bansil, one of the 16 members of staff sacked because of the club’s mishandling of the rafiq affair.
‘Kunwar and I have had some very frank conversations because this has affected us both in different ways,’ says Bresnan.
‘One thing he said to me was that if he gets another position in cricket, people might question whether it’s because he’s of Indian origin, regardless of whether he is the best person for the job. That’s just wrong.
‘It is utter madness that he should think that, or people think that about him.
‘For me, it was only a small part of my decision to retire, but if there were to have been any comments from the crowd, referring to me as a racist, that would have hurt, I’m not going to lie.’
Termination of the final year of his contract at edgbaston was settled in a hurry.
‘They say you know when it’s time and I can confirm you really do,’ he continues. he gave himself 48 hours to tell Paul Farbrace, Warwickshire’s director of cricket and his former england Under 19 coach, and three days later, at the end of last month, the decision was made public. It is worth remembering the achievements of this most unpretentious of cricketers, a vital cog in england teams that sealed a 3-1 away win over Australia in 2010-11 and T20 World Cup glory months earlier.
Starting as a 16-year-old in a Yorkshire team comprising Darren Gough, Darren Lehmann, Craig White, Chris Silverwood and ryan Sidebottom, he inherited a ‘give ’em nowt’ attitude and was on the winning side in each of his first 13 Tests.
‘I averaged 40 with the bat and 25 with the ball at that stage and Ian Bell used to call me Timmy Kallis, but those stats were obviously unsustainable,’ he says. ‘I didn’t tear up any trees, just contributed in whatever way I could.’
Asked for the highlight of an international career of more than 1,500 runs and 200 wickets, he replies: ‘Winning with your mates. It’s the best thing ever. To achieve things as a team is very fulfilling.’
More specifically, he reminisces on the scene in the Melbourne dressing room after the england vintage of 11 years ago retained cricket’s famous urn.
‘On the day I announced my retirement, Matt Prior sent me a picture of us sitting next to each other and I am smoking a big-ass cigar, as if to say, “right, we’ve done it”. That’s the moment.’
Soon, passports in hand, it will be time for the 36-year-old to make more memories.