At the wicket with Iain O’Brien – the sequel

Part 2: A career post cricket

Test cricket deserves a three-piece suit

In the second part of a cricketing Buddha’s interview with cult figure Iain O’Brien we discuss life after a decade long playing career – Iain mixes light hearted banter with the some great cricketing insight. He talks openly about his battles with depression, spot-fixing, Jesse Ryder and his portrayal as a young Ron Snowden. He is candid about his dealings with the media and how it is now sitting on the other side of the fence. 

In a Donning the whites exclusive Iain puts the rumours of a career in nude modelling to bed, though he leaves the door open for his own underwear range.

At the wicket with Iain O’Brien - Part 1

A blessed career in the middle

Into the wind at the Basin - again...

Iain O’Brien donned the black cap of New Zealand on 36 occasions and made a career of bowling into the wind – an admirable choice when your home ground is (windy) Wellington’s Basin Reserve. His first class career spanned a decade but was eventually cut short by a spine that more closely resembled an S-bend. He was never the type of international cricketer would was going to set the world alight, but he holds a special place in the hearts of those who truly understand the New Zealand game – he was always the fan’s cricketer. Any number of his Wellington and New Zealand team mates will tell much the same story.  He retired from the international game at arguably the height of his powers and upped stumps and moved to the United Kingdom to be a ‘proper’ husband and start a family – how many other cricketers would make that choice?

New Zealand's Wisden Cricketers of the Year - the trailblazers

Even if you don't know much about cricket, you may know that a small yellow book called Wisden has been around for a while... Some in the cricket world refer to it as 'the Bible'… You may also know that, despite being an annual publication in the age of instant comment, Wisden still has a bit of clout, which says plenty for the acumen of previous editors. Then there are the Five Cricketers of the Year, the selection of whom has been the sole prerogative of the editor since 1889, give or take the occasional break for a world war. 
                  Lawrence Booth, Mail Online, 11 April 2012


Booth, the 16th editor of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack in 149 years has just chosen his first Five Cricketers of the Year, a responsibility that rests squarely on the shoulders of the editor of cricket’s bible and often divides punters and pundits alike. 

At the wicket with George Dobell

In the first interview featured on Donning the whites, George Dobell was kind enough to answer a few questions from a cricketing Buddha.

Since his first article in The Cricketer, George has written for SPIN – the Cricket magazine, The Guardian, The Times, and The Birmingham Post. He is now a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo and has developed a following as one of the preeminent scribes on the County Championship.

He talks to a cricketing Buddha about his start in the business, an affinity with the Windies and gives a reasoned account of a number of the issues facing our great game. He also answers the age old question of the origin of the humble pavlova.

XI lessons from a New Zealand summer (3)

Part 3: Finishing the innings with the bunnies

The final instalment of my three-part feature looks at the batting bunnies at the bottom of the order and New Zealand’s continued lack of consistency. The 12th man even makes an appearance in the outfield.

9. Consistently inconsistent (read: frustrating): I support the Warriors, Arsenal and the Windies so inconsistency and frustration seem to greet me at every turn – the Black Caps confirm I have a penchant for punishment.