Dambulla, Aug 16: Andy McKay stands out among a bunch of journeymen for more reasons than one. Age 30 is when the pundits start to talk about a cricketers’ retirement, but for the Auckland born left-arm seamer, life on the international stage has just begun.
Having started playing competitive cricket only at 22, it took eight seasons of first-class cricket for McKay — also a qualified physio — to break into the national squad.
Seen as New Zealand’s next big hope, McKay said the road ahead would not be easy while tracing his journey so far.
Excerpts from a conversation:
On debut at 30: The move to Wellington and the good year I had with them proved to be the turning point. Daniel Vettori, the captain at Wellington was happy with my pace and I got a chance to play against Bangladesh.
On life as a first-class cricketer: I took to Sir Richard Hadlee as my mentor. His feedback is always thorough and I usually keep in touch with him over phone or e-mail.
On his advantage as a qualified physio: It’s a bit of a yes and no. I quite like having the old dumb fast bowler mentality of carrying on even when it hurts. When I have a niggle I know if it is a good pain or bad pain.
On his goals: There are two types of fast bowlers, one hitting the deck hard and another for whom fitness is the key. Playing the World Cup has been a dream and if I can do that it will be fantastic.