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Pride and passion Martyn ready for challenge of test cricket
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) -- Pride in performance and passion for the baggy green led Damien Martyn to a greater maturity, a mountain of runs and a place back in the Australian test side. When many believed at 29 he was finished as a test cricketer, Martyn was philosophical about his re-carnation as a test batsman and believed he had matured as a complete cricketer. Martyn will pull on the baggy green test cap Thursday at Edgbaston, having displaced fellow Western Australian teammate Justin Langer. He will bat at number six in his 12th test, while the inform Ricky Ponting will return to the pivotal No.3 position. Martyn's test career appeared over after he managed just 11 tests over nine years since earning a tour place in 1992 as a 20-year-old to Sri Lanka. He made his debut against the West Indies at Brisbane, and went onto play in four tests in that series. But many had believed the right-handed Martyn had been punished for his dismissal in Australia's five-run loss to South Africa in the second test in Sydney in January 1994. Number 7 Martyn was the ninth out for six runs and took the blame. "Mentally now I'm better prepared," said Martyn. "Back then I had the talent to play but I was pretty young. Now I'm better prepared and my game is complete." As a teenager Martyn lived with the tag of being the next batting star of Australian cricket but he never lived up to expectations. Under Australia's new regime, Martyn has learned the finer points of match preparation and looks at ways to conquer opponents before a game. His contribution in the World Cup winning Australian one-day team was crucial in pushing his case for a test recall. "It's turning a full loop almost, from being young and brash," Martyn admitted. "I didn't really know much about the game then. But a lot of things are different. It's maturing and reinventing yourself. "Before I just went out there and just batted, I didn't respect bowlers, just went out there and whacked, didn't respect the conditions, whether they were spinning wickets or seaming wickets. Martyn was forgotten as an Australian test player in the mid 1990s. His career hit a new low when he was dropped from the Western Australian state side. "That's when I started to realize that my cricket was on the line," Martyn said. "That's when you realize you've gone from playing for Australia to grade cricket. It really hit home." After Australia anointed players such as Greg Blewett, Matthew Hayden, Darren Lehmann, Matthew Elliott, Ponting and Simon Katich, Martyn's hopes of making a test comeback were fading. "Those thoughts always go through your head, mainly back five years ago when I wasn't even making Australia 'A' sides and tours. That's when you start thinking, you know, you're going to have to start really pulling your finger out." Martyn said his days of partying, particularly during his first Ashes tour in 1993, were over. "It's definitely different to eight years ago when you'd be going out five or six nights a week as a young kid," he said. "Now I class it as a job in a sense, I'm here for three months to play cricket professionally and for Australia and just do everything I can to make sure I'm playing well on the park." But since breaking into the current test side as a fringe player as captain of Australia A and in one-dayers, Martyn has put pressure on established players such as Mark Waugh, Ponting and Langer in the last 24 months. His first break came 18 months ago when he replaced an injured Ponting in the three tests in New Zealand and topped the batting averages. Then he replaced the injured skipper Steve Waugh in the Adelaide test against the West Indies last December, and played two great innings to steer Australia to victory.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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