“We went back to cricket training, as simple as that”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Following Phillip Hughes’ funeral, Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Brad Haddin has admitted that it felt good to start training and playing cricket again.
Haddin and numerous other national players resumed training in order to get prepared for the upcoming Test series against India, which gets underway on December 9 in Adelaide.
“Yesterday was a very good day. We went back to cricket training, as simple as that,” Haddin said. “We all went back to the game we loved. And it was a good day.
“We just got back to cricket. We can try to complicate it as much as we want, but we went back to cricket training. Everybody did what he needed to do yesterday. We needed to feel that cricket hurt in our legs again.
“The next two days are about getting back to training. Getting that cricket feel back in your legs and getting that soreness that you get from miles from out training. From that point of view, the next two days are important to get that feel. Sunday will be a big cricket day leading into the Test match on Tuesday.”
Even though captain Michael Clarke did train as well, it is still unclear whether he will play the first Test due to the fact that he is still grieving over the loss of Hughes, who was his team-mate and friend. In addition to that, he is also recovering from a hamstring injury he aggravated during the recent ODI series against South Africa.
When asked if he had thought about leading the team at all, Haddin said: “No, I haven’t. Michael had a good hit today. He is going to back up this afternoon, and be involved in our session. So I haven’t thought about it to be honest.
“Michael’s been strong for the team for a long time. I think he’s a tremendous captain and we want our captain out there playing. All signs are that he’s going in the right direction, and like everyone else, we want Michael out there leading our team in the first hour of play here in Adelaide.”
Haddin also made it clear that everyone is trying their best to move on after attending Hughes funeral in his hometown of Macksville on Wednesday.
“We get back to playing the game we love. I don’t think we need to complicate it any more than that: you get back to playing cricket,” he said. “We all love the game. That’s why we’re all here now. It’s a great game and been good to so many of us. Our job is to go and play cricket, and to enjoy that. We need the support of the Australian public and everyone leading into this first Test. We’re looking forward to playing and we need the help of everyone to enjoy the moment and just enjoy the game of cricket.”
However, it has been revealed that opening batsman David Warner skipped training on Friday.
When asked if Warner would be in the right state of mind to play the first Test, Haddin said: “There was no pressure on anyone yesterday. There were no expectations on anyone regarding what you had to do or what you needed to get out of the net session. If you needed to take half an hour or ten minutes or five minutes, there were no expectations. It was all individualised and I didn’t count how guys were in the nets.”
Haddin also noted that the Baggy Greens will continue playing with the same fire and aggression they have shown throughout the year.
“It’s obviously a different venue and you have different plans to get batsmen out,” he said. “But, it’s a good cricket wicket here. I don’t think you need to read too much into what venue we’re playing at. It’s about doing our job and making sure we’re ready for the conditions here.
“I think once we are out there, we will be there to play our style of cricket. I don’t think we have to complicate things. It’s about getting out there and playing the game of cricket, executing our skills under pressure. We will play the brand of cricket we have always played.”