'My golf substituted for the lack of cricket'

Such has been the effect of COVID-19 that the world has changed overnight, forever. While this is a new sensation for many people, it's the type of reality shift that any former sportsperson has already lived through to some extent when they decided to call it quits.

Cricbuzz takes stock of what this feels like, and what some of the effects have been, for cricketers who retired after lengthy careers by taking them back to the first day of the rest of their lives...

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Greg Blewett's Test career eventually was more a case of 'what if' than 'what was'. The former Australia batsman, who scored two centuries in his first two Tests, though pulled off his elegant drives and pulls over 15 seasons of first-class cricket. Along with stints at Yorkshire, Kent and Nottinghamshire, the right-hander, who played 46 Tests and 32 ODIs during the build-up phase of Australia's indomitable run, finished as one of South Australia's best-ever. And it is when they turned their backs on him in 2006 that Blewett pulled the plug on his career, and here he talks about how he got himself over his "disgruntled retirement".

EXCERPTS:

Your last few days in first-class cricket, you weren't too happy with the selectors. You thought you could play for two more years.

I basically got told that I wasn't going to be in the framework going forward. So, the decision was sort of forced upon me. I had two years left on my contract. It was a bit of a disgruntled retirement. I really, really wanted to keep playing. But my marriage had broken up and I had a 2-year-old daughter and if I wanted to extend my career, I would had to have moved interstate. And I didn't really want to move away from her. But in saying that, I'd already done a little bit of media work in the UK with Sky Sports while I was playing there. The 2005 Ashes series was coming up. Darren Lehmann did the first couple of Test matches and I got offered the last three Tests. Whilst I didn't have full-time employment organised, that was a bit of a carrot there. I was also getting a bit of a payout from my contract with SACA. So, I had a little bit of security there. It is a little bit daunting. You know that your income's going to take a hit as well.

Do you remember what was going through your head the moment your head hit the pillow that first night though?

The immediate aftermath of the retirement was, I wasn't in a great way to be honest. It took me a good month to get through that. But I really enjoyed the freedom of being able to plan what I was going to do next. And being able to do what I wanted to without asking people what to do. A lot of people struggle with no structure immediately around them, but I relished in it.

You spoke about routine. You played first-class cricket for 15-16 years. How long does it take to wean off it?

The first thing for me was 'right there's not going to be another pre-season'. Normally, I'd only take a couple of weeks off and then get back into the gym, well before preseason started. I decided I was going to take 12 months off doing anything really physical. I'd had a few injuries. I really wanted to rest up. I actually remember getting to the end of those 12 months and I felt bloody fantastic. I didn't have any of the aches and pains that I normally had. I just remember in that first week or the first couple of days going you know what, I'm just going to chill out and I love my golf. I played a fair bit of golf.

Is it easy to chill out though when you've done something the same way for so long?

It felt like a normal end to the season, when you have a bit of closure on that season. Then you reset your goals and you go again for the next season. I really wanted to do that. But having retired, what was I setting my goals for? There was going to be no cricket. Then I put my mind to map out the next six months and go from there. It was really about getting my motions in check. I had numerous setbacks throughout my career and I always felt like, instead of feeling sorry for yourself and moping around, it was obviously better to be positive and try and get yourself going as quickly as possible.

Sachin Tendulkar had said that he no longer had to worry about what he was picking up from the buffet after retiring. Was it the same for you?

I was very lucky with food. I was very skinny. My skinfolds were always elite. That was more my metabolism. In terms of eating, I had no problems. The overriding thing for me was the performance anxiety was not there anymore. You didn't have to worry about batting the next day or worry about 'geez I missed out in that game'. I can guarantee Sachin slept a lot better after he retired, considering the kind of expectations he had to deal with. I certainly did. That was something I really didn't miss. Those nights when you sort of wake up and feel 'geez I really do need to do something today'.

When does it start to feel okay to be referred to as a "retired person" despite still being in your mid-30s?

When you actually do it, it's like wow it's over. Your career goes so quickly even if it goes for 15 years. It hits you. I'm not going to walk out to the Adelaide Oval again. So, I really missed the dressing-room environment, being around my mates. And certainly, in the first 12 months after I retired, just watching the guys play was really, really hard. I felt like I could still be out there. I also realised though that at 35, I am roughly halfway through my life. Now is the time, I need to reach out and start the rest of my life.

Do you start reconnecting with people who you weren't able to stay in touch with during your career?

It is a fairly selfish existence, especially when you're playing international cricket. You are one-dimensional and your only focus is to be successful as a cricketer. You don't get to see your parents as much as you used to and other parts of your family. And also your good friends. So you do start reconnecting. Most of my really good friends have come from cricket. And then when I got home from working with Sky Sports, I landed a job pretty much straight away with Fox Sports and I worked with them for 9 years. They were most of the guys I played against and played with, so I became really close with them. In terms of back here in Adelaide, it was really friendships through my golf clubs really. Getting into a little bit more of a routine, playing on certain days and playing in certain groups. As I said, my marriage had broken up and I was single and on my own for a long period of time.

How much of the golf had to do with you wanting to keep those competitive juices flowing?

My golf really substituted for the lack of cricket. I started working hard on getting good at that. And it still does. That's something I've tried to educate my wife now that I still need that time where I can go out and play golf and be social. But more importantly play really competitively and really try and do something that gets the juices going.

Did retirement give you more time with the daughter?

Absolutely. But in saying that, I still went overseas and played a little bit. I went to England for a couple of years to play some cricket. I still had long periods of time when I didn't spend with her. But when I was in town, I could do everything. I could drop her at school and spend full days with her. I didn't necessarily have to go off to a full-time job. I thrived on being home. It felt like I was on holiday. I loved it.

What is it that you started getting withdrawal symptoms for?

I really missed batting. I've hardly had a bat since except the rare charity game or stuff like that. But I'm involved with coaching now and quite often, I'll just strap the pads back on and face some balls on the bowling machine or sometimes I get the guys to throw me a dozen balls. I still miss that confrontation, the one-on-one dynamic of you against the bowler.

How weird was it watching the 2005 Ashes from the commentary box so soon after you'd shared the field with so many of them, and also considering it became such a historic series?

I tried to use that to my advantage a little bit as well. You have got good relationships with the guys who're still playing, and you hope that it can come across in your commentary. You can add a bit of inside knowledge. It was a pretty amazing series. I remember thinking at the time, what a way to start my commentary career. I distinctly remember Old Trafford when there were still thousands of people outside trying to get in and there was just this amazing excitement around Test cricket. I felt very fortunate to be a part of that.

You've always started off on a memorable note then. Two centuries in two Tests as a batsman and the 2005 Ashes as a commentator.

That's right. That's been the problem in the past. Happened with my cricket, especially for Australia, I just couldn't maintain it for long periods of time but I'm trying to change that with my other careers.

Also Read: The story of Phil DeFreitas, who put on 10 kilos in the first six months of his retirement!