from SASI April 1996 (thanks Cindy)
Shaun Pollock, SASI's Cricketer of the year, has in one season established himself as South African cricket's 21st-cetury man. By MARK GLEESON.
A year ago you obviously had no idea where you'd be now. What ambitions did you have at that stage?
"I had quite a good season for Natal last season and things had gone well and a couple of people said to me I might have made the team against New Zealand. But I was really hoping I could get into the under-24 side [for the tour to Sri Lanka] and have a good tour there and then try and get into the senior side later in the season."
So was Sri Lanka a bit of a turning point?
"It wasn't actually. I went there to try and impress, but I didn't have a good tour at all. I only took six wickets and so it was quite disappointing for me. I was hoping to go on the Zimbabwe trip [one Test and two limited-overs internationals in October] because they were looking to take a few youngsters. But I didn't perform, so I didn't get on that. But I suppose Sri Lanka was a learning experience ..."
What actually did you learn there?
"Line and length on the sub-continent is completely different on those wickets. In South Africa you can get it to turn in just short of a length, but there you really have to work for your wickets."
So what do you think was the point for you in terms of getting into the
senior side?
"The Hong Kong sixes. A couple of the guys pulled out of that one and I had quite a good tournament there. I got the best bowler award and it sort of pushed my name forward for people to see."
Overall, though, what were the factors that saw you make the jump from
domestic cricket to the international scene?
"Over the last two seasons, I did quite a bit of physical work in the
gym and got a bit stronger and worked on a few technical things. For a start, my
wrist used to fall over a bit and I used to slide it down a lot down the leg
side. We worked on that. I've also filled out a bit."
How much of an influence has the help of Malcolm Marshall been?
"He's been brilliant. He's got so much experience. He's passed some of that onto me and the whole Natal set-up, with the younger chaps, and the positive cricket and the confidence, has definitely all helped."
Wasn't it such a pity that the last day of his first-class career ended in a
bit of a whimper with the rain canceling play ...
"Especially with us looking to win the Castle Cup, because if we had won that game we would have won the competition. That was a big pity."
How have you added so much pace to your bowling in so short time?
"I think it's got a lot to do with the gym work. I've got a lot stronger and sorted out my wrist action. Now that I've sorted that out and got more wrist behind it, there is more power behind it."
And your batting improvement ...?
"I always thought I was a bit of a batter [laughs]. At school, I batted number four. At club level, I always bat four, but in the Natal set-up we have so many all-rounders and chaps that can bat, that I haven't really been given a chance. But like all bowlers, when we get out there, I like to give it a little knock. Graham Ford works with all of us in the Natal side, right down to number 11 'cause our batting is so strong. So, I've never neglected my batting - maybe I've just not had a chance to play more."
So what would you give a greater thrill - five wickets in an innings or a
ton?
"[laughs] ... I've got five in a game already, so I think a ton now! I think I've always got to keep my eye in. Obviously, bowling is always going to be the thing that's going to establish me, but I would like to try and work on becoming a genuine all-rounder. But to be a genuine all-rounder, you've got to keep your place in the team as both a batter and a bowler, and I don't think I could do that at this time."
But isn't it true to say that at this stage you've worked your way into the
one- day team with both bat and ball?
"The thing is, I'm more of a bowler who can bat a bit. In one-day cricket, it's a big help. It gives the team's batting a bit of depth."
Are you happy to carry the expectation of being seen as a future star
all-rounder?
"Well, ever since I've been playing cricket, I've always been a batter and a bowler. When you play for Natal and you don't bat, it feels like I've only played half a game. I've always enjoyed both, for me a game of cricket entails both batting and bowling So there's no pressure for me."
What would you rate as your best performance so far?
"It would probably have to be the Newlands Test where I got my five wickets. We managed to win the series, which was quite a highlight. And then the one-day game at Newlands too, which was the first for me, doing well with both the bat and ball."
Did the Man-of-the-Series award in the one-dayers against England boost your
confidence?
"Obviously it's good for your confidence because it means you performed
well throughout and people recognize that. But it is still very much a team
effort. Individually, sure it's a boost."
Tell us about the best ball you've ever bowled.
" ... I think one of the better deliveries I ever bowled was in the game
against Transvaal this season. To Ken Rutherford, first ball, I bounced him out.
It sort of set us up to win that game. All the selectors were there, too,
watching before the first Test side was going to be announced, so it was quite
good timing."
What was it like, then, when they announced the team?
"Well, you know how it goes before a Test, everyone starts to discuss the team and you're hoping you are going to be in it. But you never know what is going to happen. We finished the game early, at about 2pm, and the side was due to be announced at 4.30pm, so we were having a celebration in the Natal changing room after winning and everyone stuck about, and then it was announced in the President's Suite at Kingsmead, so me and a couple of the chaps went through there and listened. I think I was announced about eight or ninth, and we never got to hear the rest of the side because the guys were going mad, hugging me and things like that."
What sort of emotion runs through you at times like that?
"I was very excited, very happy."
Were you nervous going into the SA side? Is it a bit like your first day at
school?
"Yes, but the guys were brilliant, they welcomed me, didn't give me any trouble. It's a great side, friendly side. Everyone gets on with one another. So that was no problem. I thought it might be a bit hard, but they seemed to accept me very well."
There's no initiation ceremony for the new guys?
"No, nothing like that."
Warwickshire now ... you are off to play county cricket, what sort of
ambitions are you setting yourself this year?
"I've a tough act to follow, they've won the last two championships and had players like Brian Lara and Allan [Donald]. I'm obviously young and I've got a lot of things to learn about the game of cricket. A year's experience will be great for me."
A one-year contract?
"Yes ... I'd like to do as well for them as I can. They say, setting goals, that about 65 wickets a season is supposed to be a good mark, but ... I don't know ... we'll work it out when I get there."
Has Bob Woolmer given you any advice about playing there?
"It is nice to know that Bob was coach there and Allan is going to be the bowling coach there, so they've both told me what to expect and both explained things to me. It sounds like they've got a great set-up there."
Has Allan started coaching you yet?
"[Laughs] I think he's going to be more of a fitness coach, but I'm sure he'll give me a bit of a hard time though!"
What about the threat of burnout, as we've seen with Lara? You won't be
having a break now.
"That was one of the things worrying me personally. I wasn't sure whether I should have a rest after the season or go and learn. But Warwickshire's next two seasons are booked up - Lara's back and then Allan will be back - so they are the best club side, so I decided the best thing for me would be to go there for a year's experience. You never know when a chance like this might come again. I think if you do it for a couple of seasons in a row then you face the threat of burnout. But one will be hopefully good for me."
Some of your teammates in the South African team played county cricket last
year. Have they passed on anything to you?
"Hansie and Allann both think it will be great to gain a year's experience. Nothing longer than that. They say it will be a very good learning curve for me."
Why not longer than one season?
"They say as a bowler it's a little bit tiring. If you're a batsman, you can do it a bit longer, but as a bowler, just one season."
Was the England series just the right kind of preparation going to the World
Cup?
"The Tests for me were a new experience, it was great. The one-dayers were brilliant preparation for the World Cup. Seven one-dayers straight after each other was great. It put our confidence up for the World Cup beating them 6-1. It has been a very good preparation."
How have you found the difference between international cricket and domestic
competition?
"You are playing against much better players, obviously, and there is not much of a let-up. Once there is one out, then another top-class guy walks in. You have to keep going the whole way through, you can't let down your defenses. It is a bit harder, but if you've got skills from the domestic season, you can cope alright."
Have you improved a lot since you were elevated to international status?
"Yes, obviously it improves you quite a bit. The intensity is much greater. Every time you practice, you are practicing with quality players in your own team and then you are playing against quality opposition, you are bound to improve."
But has it been marked improvement?
"The thing with me is I haven't ... they say when you go back to domestic cricket, you feel the difference. I haven't really had a chance to notice that yet."
Your impression with the World Cup ... it was a long drawn out affair ...
"The first stage was dragged out - five days rest [between matches] and
all that, but it picked up after we qualified for the quarters. That's when the
World Cup really got underway."
Were you nervous coming into the tournament? Someone like you is in a bit of a 'hiding to nothing' situation.
"Yes, it is a bit. The wickets are not going to help, especially as I opened the bowling, but you have to be positive. It was a challenge."
Playing Test cricket is always the ultimate in this sport, but do you think
this World Cup could become for cricket what the World Cup is to Rugby and
Soccer?
"For us, it's like going to the Olympic Games. You can play your home or away series, but when everyone gets together for one event in one place and there's one trophy, it's like the Mecca of cricket."
Has being in the South African team changed your life a little?
"People recognize you a bit more ... it's brilliant."
People want to stop you all the time ...
"I'm still young, so I'm enjoying that, but I think the elder chaps get a bit upset with all that. In Cape Town, I was out with Paul Adams and people came and wanted to talk to him all the time."
Was it a relief for you to make the team with your famous family name. There
must have been a lot of pressure on you growing up?
"Obviously people expected it, being a Pollock. For me to get here on my own was a relief, but it was a bit of a burden."
How do you feel about being named SASI's Cricketer of the Year?
"It's great that people recognize what I've done. It's a honor. There are so many good cricketers in the side who could have won, so for me to be nominated above them is an honor."