Ben Dunk, conversations with an Australian professional cricketer

Ben Dunk is an Australian professional cricketer who represented Australia in the T20’s from 2014-2017.  Ben has represented Australia; and played in the BBL (Big Bash League), IPL (Indian Premier League) and the PSL (Pakistan Super League).  Most recently in 2021, he plays for the Lahore Qalandars.  While playing cricket, Ben also studies in the MBA with Kaplan Business School.  Read more on ESPN about Ben's career.   

Kaplan invited Ben to speak with us about life as a professional cricketer.  We talk about career demands; physical heath and healthy mindset; travel and homesickness; emotional resilience; setting worthwhile goals; imposter syndrome; and building rapport with multicultural teams. 

Listen to Ben’s advice for overcoming self-doubts and keeping present. 

TIMESTAMPS
01:25  Professional athlete and KBS student
03:08  How Ben balances work, study, and wellbeing

PART ONE - Ben and wellness
06:02  What wellness means to Ben
09:24  Maintaining physical health while travelling
11:55  Maintaining a healthy mindset
15:14  Maintaining a wellness routine

PART TWO - Ben and career demands
17:36  Coping with homesickness
21:45  What's next for Ben?

PART THREE - Conversations with Ben
23:03  Staying present, focusing on goals
25:51  Having fun to balance work routines
28:45  Bouncing back from bad news

PART FOUR - Questions and reflections
30:13  Imposter syndrome
33:28  Pressures on a batter and wicket keeper
35:07  Plans to play in the Big Bash League (BBL)
36:09  How Ben finds A T20 team around the world
39:41  Setting new goals and starting over
42:25  Overcoming self doubts
45:14  Building rapport with multicultural teams
47:03 Perseverance, the takeaway message

Chapters

• 1:25 Professional athlete and KBS student
• 3:08 How Ben balances work, study, and wellbeing
• 6:02 What wellness means to Ben
• 9:24 Maintaining physical health while travelling
• 11:55 Maintaining a healthy mindset
• 15:14 Maintaining a wellness routine
• 17:36 Coping with homesickness
• 21:45 What's next for Ben?
• 23:03 Staying present, focusing on goals
• 25:51 Having fun to balance work routines
• 28:46 Bouncing back from bad news
• 30:13 Imposter syndrome
• 33:28 Pressures on a batter and wicket keeper
• 35:07 Plans to play in the Big Bash League (BBL)
• 36:09 How Ben finds a T20 team around the world
• 39:41 Setting new goals and starting over
• 42:25 Overcoming self doubts
• 45:14 Building rapport with multicultural teams
• 47:03 Perseverance, the takeaway message

Transcript

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The Kaplan Community podcast is a platform
 for the wider Kaplan community

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to share ideas and insights 

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that can guide us on our professional
 and academic development.

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It's easy to listen
 to tackle some hard hitting issues,

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and we think it's a great way 

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to appreciate diverse perspectives
 on life, learning and careers.

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Ben Dunk is an Australian cricketer
 who represented Australia

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in the T20s from 2014 to 2017.

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Ben is not only representing Australia,
 but also played in the BBL,

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the IPL and the PSL,
 and most recently for the Lahore

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Qallenders in the Pakistan
 Super League in 2021.

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Ben is also studying the MBA with Kaplan
 Business School and living in Tasmania.

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So how are you doing, Ben? 

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All first of all,
 I just wanted to say thanks for having me.

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And, you know, it's a pleasure to be on. 

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And hopefully everybody
 that's tuned in and Joey

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enjoys the chat and B,
 you can take something out of it.

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So, yeah, I'm going really, really well. 

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We just finished a lecture this morning
 on governance, ethics and sustainability.

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So slowly working through that. 

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But yeah, everything's going quite
 well as it could be in governance.

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And ethics actually is one of my
 more favorite subjects in the NBA.

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So I'm hoping you enjoy it
 as much as I do. Sincerely.

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So, Ben, starting
 off, we're thinking about your studies.

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The first question I've got is,
 as a successful professional athlete,

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what are your main reasons or goals
 for doing an MBA?

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Yeah, it's a good question. 

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I think I think I've always had
 a bit of an interest in study

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or certainly if more of an interest
 in sort of, I guess, the broader world

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and the broader community
 outside of cricket itself or sport itself.

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Although I'm an absolute sports numpty
 and I've spent hours and hours

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getting into the Olympics and events,
 which, you know,

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I have absolutely no idea of the rules,

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but they have so much

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or for the athletes doing it,
 it's been incredible.

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But I guess my motivation in such is,
 you know, I'm a pretty competitive person.

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And, you know, I am certainly
 getting older and I'm certainly closer

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to the end of my career
 than I am the start.

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So I've started to sort of think about,
 you know, what what is next for me

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and how I'm going to sort of attack 

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that second career,
 I guess you might want to call it

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in the same sort of zest as I my first one
 as a as a professional cricketer.

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And I just thought, you know,
 I've completed a diploma in business

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and a diploma in leadership and management
 as well, albeit very slowly.

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But I've completed those
 and sort of just thought, you know what?

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What will set me up, 

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I guess, in the best possible light
 or what sort of qualification do

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I need to sort of, you know,
 really enter the workforce with a bang?

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And I thought the MBA would would
 certainly do that for me.

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I love that to enter
 the workforce with a bang.

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And I think competitiveness is a
 is a pretty unique but great reason to do

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an MBA. Now, everyone is faced
 by the work life balance.

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We have work study
 and we can't forget about wellness.

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Being a professional athlete
 is a unique career and lifestyle

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with different demands involved. 

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So how do you balance your work,
 study and wellbeing?

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I honestly think this is the
 the million dollar question.

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I think for me personally, it's 

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something that I've really, 

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really struggled with throughout
 my professional cricket career.

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I've got quite tunnel vision in a sense.

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And when I set my mind to one thing,
 I normally have a really good mood

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or I would say great discipline. 

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And in doing that one thing,
 however, as I'm doing now,

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I do have a little bit of a struggle
 in terms of balancing commitments.

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For example, at the moment 

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I'm doing two subjects to study
 when I'm commencing my MBA.

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I've got a big block of cricket 

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at the end of this year,
 sort of from November all the way through.

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More than likely until March. 

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I'm doing some leadership
 and high performance consulting at a

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business down here in Tasmania, 

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and probably most of all
 not probably most importantly,

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you know, my husband and a father of two
 little kids under four.

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So in terms of balancing that work

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life study, I'm certainly
 no expert in that field.

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I think one of the lessons
 I have learned along the way is, though,

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and I sort of I don't know who is quoted
 is, but it's sort of where your feet are.

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And by that, I mean, if I'm with the kids,
 if I'm with my kids, I try and

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put my phone away
 and be 100 percent with my kids

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and be present in that moment and focused
 on what you're you're trying to achieve.

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And it's similar.
 If I'm you know, at cricket training,

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I try and focus in on
 on my cricket training.

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I'm not worried about or not 

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too concerned about the study
 that I'm doing in the afternoon.

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And no different to this morning when I'm
 when I'm studying, you know, I put

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the final I'd be 100 percent present
 and then move on to the next task at hand.

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But, yeah, it's certainly
 a tricky one in terms of balance,

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certainly trying to implement calenders
 into my life a lot more than I have been.

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One of the things one of the great things 

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about being a professional athlete
 and also one of the drawbacks is

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your whole life is essentially mapped out
 for you in the sense that you get told

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where you have to be, at
 what time, what you have to wear.

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And that sort of creates this this being
 that is almost institutionalized.

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I think that when you
 start to step out and become

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a regular adult, you know,

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you have to balance that for yourself ,
 which can sometimes be a bit challenging.

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And it's an interesting perspective
 when you say that cricket and playing

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professionally kind of maps out your life
 and it's very structured for you.

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And I assume it creates
 a really good psychological safety,

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that feeling that
 everything is taken care of.

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And then you mentioned now
 the struggle with everything

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from parenting to careers
 to studying to being present.

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And we also know, which
 I really admire for wellness.

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We know that worrying about the past
 or fretting about the future

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is a major source of stress. 

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So related to wellness,
 we know that wellness

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is really important
 for everyone, particularly now.

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So what is wellness mean to you? 

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For me, I think, you know,
 wellness is around

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now having the ability
 or putting your being in a mental

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and physical capacity to be able to
 just give your best and perform

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at the best possible level
 that you can in whatever you're doing.

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And, you know, without sounding cliche,
 this is something at the moment

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which I'm extremely, extremely focused on.

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I think back to where, you know, I think
 my wellness in particular is made up of,

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you know, my professional life,
 which is cricket and study and both,

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I guess, you know, my physical fitness,
 my diet, my family and community .

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And I think probably my most important
 and one of the hardest things

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for me to do with two young
 children is to monitor my sleep.

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And I haven't always been this way. 

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I think when I first started playing
 cricket professionally, I was just 24/7

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cricket, cricket, cricket. 

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And I think, you know,
 that was sort of one of the areas

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where it sort of helped me
 succeed to a level.

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But over my career, for anyone
 that has followed it, I've probably been

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someone who's had been able to perform
 at a very high level and then fallen away.

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So the consistency of performance for me
 hasn't been there as often

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as I would have liked. 

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And I think my inability
 to monitor my wellness

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and to have other things in my life
 has certainly contributed to that.

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And as I'm getting sort of older
 and more mature and,

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you know, like I said, wife and children,

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it's given me a lot better perspective,
 I guess, around what's important.

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And what I'm finding is
 it's actually helping me professionally

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as well and professionally to perform
 at a consistently high level.

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I think especially in the athlete world,
 you know, there's so many stories

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of people doing incredible things

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when not looking after their well-being,
 I guess, you know, and whether it's

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their extracurricular activities
 or their diets or whatever it might be.

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You hear about these 

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these great performances
 when their wellbeing

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isn't necessarily being taken care of. 

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But I think what's
 really important to note is that nobody

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I don't think in the history of sport
 has been able to compete.

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At a consistent high level
 without having a good sense of well-being,

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you know, you have these one or one
 or incredible performances

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along the way, but eventually
 it catches up with you.

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And I think as people, you know,
 as broad a sense speaking broadly,

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you know, we want to be consistent.

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I think consistency is one of the most
 admirable traits that anybody can have.

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And if you're a consistent high level
 performer across any cross, any

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whether it's sport, business, whatever

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it is, I think that's somebody
 that, you know, is really admirable.

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I think that's just so relatable,
 because in the past few interviews

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we've done on the podcast related to
 wellness, we talked about burnout

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in a variety of ways, whether it's related
 to academics or career

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and how to identify the signs of
 when you might be getting to that point.

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For an athlete, there's a lot of research

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showing that in sports psychology,
 a huge part of the game.

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Of course, if your head's in the right
 place, you can perform better.

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The psychology of it. 

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But aside from that, the bodily
 health and fitness would be paramount.

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So do you have any tips for, say,
 the average folk like me,

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somebody who is not aiming
 to be a professional athlete, but then

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but then from your point of view, 

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what would be important for me
 to maintain my physical health?

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Yeah, I think obviously diet
 is, you know, is essential, really.

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You know, what you're
 putting into your body, 

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you know, is really, really important
 to to remain balanced.

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Another one, I think, which is under
 sort of it's not really spoken

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about enough is sleep, have really good
 sleep hygiene at night, have regular,

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you know, ensure you're getting to bed,
 getting enough sleep.

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Unfortunately, especially
 in an environment

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like we are around the world, 

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I think we're more attached to our devices
 than we ever have been. Possibly

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get them out of your 

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life at some stage
 before you trying to go to sleep.

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And I do it as well. 

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You know, the phone charges right
 next to my bed at times,

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especially when you're in hotels, that's
 where the power points are also.

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But yeah, sort of separating yourself from 

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from that device,
 especially when it comes to sleep.

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So for me, my three key
 pillars are exercise, diet and sleep.

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And regardless of whether regardless
 of where I am around the world,

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what time zone, I mean, I really am
 trying to to focus on those three

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aspects of of my wellbeing, because,
 I mean, it sets you up for the day.

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Wonderful, I love how you put
 how you put the focus on

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sleep there, too,
 because I agree it gets totally neglected.

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Yeah, that's right. 

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And unfortunately,
 I think possibly more not necessarily

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in the athletic world,
 but possibly in the business world.

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You know, lack of sleep and huge
 work hours is sometimes celebrated,

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you know, as a culture. 

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And people who have had success, 

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you know, working
 90, 100 hours a week and never sleeping.

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And, you know, I certainly do question
 that that sort of culture

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of celebrating that, you know, a habit
 that is, you know, inherently unhealthy.

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Ben, it's interesting
 that you've mentioned sleep, 

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because research I've read a while ago
 said that one of the major

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causes for the great Australian psyche
 is actually lack of sleep and fatigue.

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00:11:28,520 --> 00:11:31,160
So people can't go to work,
 not necessarily because they're so sleepy,

203
00:11:31,160 --> 00:11:34,480
they can't stay awake,
 but because they're just wrung out tired.

204
00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:36,320
So sleep is important. 

205
00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:39,000
And I'd like to return back to something
 that Terry mentioned

206
00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:40,320
with sports psychology. 

207
00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:44,400
I really wish I knew more about sports
 psychology and how to motivate yourself.

208
00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:48,520
And the thing that is really important
 to me is this mental wellbeing.

209
00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:52,040
We talk about mindset,
 meaning how we think about things

210
00:11:52,040 --> 00:11:54,920
or the little person
 on our shoulders, that self talk.

211
00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:59,840
So for a professional athlete
 to stay motivated, what would be the tips

212
00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:04,240
and tricks that you could give to a person
 like me to maintain a healthy mindset?

213
00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:08,240
Boy, it's a very good question,
 and I think I think, you know,

214
00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:12,200
for me personally,
 just have an understanding

215
00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:15,200
of why you're doing something
 regardless of what that might be.

216
00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:18,720
Everybody's reason
 or everyone's motivation is

217
00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:20,680
is completely up to themselves. 

218
00:12:20,680 --> 00:12:24,800
You know, some people are motivated
 by trying to be the absolute

219
00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:26,160
best in the world. 

220
00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:28,320
Others are really motivated by winning.

221
00:12:28,680 --> 00:12:30,320
There's financial motivation. 

222
00:12:30,320 --> 00:12:32,600
There's a legacy
 is that you want to leave.

223
00:12:33,160 --> 00:12:37,120
You know, so figuring out for me early
 on what it was that motivated

224
00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:38,000
me really helped. 

225
00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:42,080
And that certainly allowed to change
 over the course of anyone's career.

226
00:12:42,640 --> 00:12:43,960
And I should probably change. 

227
00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:47,680
You know, one of the one of the things
 that I really, really struggled with

228
00:12:47,680 --> 00:12:51,440
from a planning point of view is I'd
 always wanted to play for Australia.

229
00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:54,920
And that was my number one
 goal early on in my career

230
00:12:54,920 --> 00:12:56,960
and probably early on
 in my life, to be honest.

231
00:12:56,960 --> 00:12:59,040
You know, ever since I can remember, 

232
00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:01,480
I was always playing cricket
 and wanting to play for Australia.

233
00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:06,280
And in two thousand, all good question, 14
 maybe, or maybe it was 13.

234
00:13:06,280 --> 00:13:09,000
You know, I applied for Australia
 against South Africa,

235
00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:11,280
and we had a three game series. 

236
00:13:11,280 --> 00:13:13,840
It was my first series
 played for Australia. 

237
00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:17,040
Woke up on the morning
 after the third game.

238
00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:21,080
And for the first time in my life,
 I had absolutely no motivation

239
00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:22,520
to go to training. 

240
00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:26,520
So to do anything really, you know, like
 it was supposed to be one of these career

241
00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:31,120
highlights that I should look back on in
 with, with such pride.

242
00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:33,760
But, you know, it was a real

243
00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:36,560
I won't say dark moment, but 

244
00:13:36,560 --> 00:13:39,680
it was all of a sudden
 I didn't have a reason to get out of bed.

245
00:13:39,680 --> 00:13:42,080
And, you know, my career actually

246
00:13:42,560 --> 00:13:45,760
post that first series
 actually took a bit of a nosedive.

247
00:13:45,760 --> 00:13:49,640
And one of the reasons now in reflection,
 which I've had an ability to do or

248
00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:53,000
the opportunity to do
 is because I hadn't reset my goals

249
00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:56,680
or reset my motivation
 as to what I was going to do next.

250
00:13:56,960 --> 00:13:58,760
In my mind, you know, playing for 

251
00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:01,760
Australia was probably unattainable
 in my mind for a lot of my career.

252
00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:04,280
And then all of a sudden not achieve that. 

253
00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:07,200
And I hadn't thought
 about what I was going to do next or what

254
00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:11,920
my next goal was or even how I wanted
 to perform in those games for Australia.

255
00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:14,240
All I wanted to do
 was to play for Australia. 

256
00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:17,520
And yeah, I think, you know,
 setting achievable goals

257
00:14:17,560 --> 00:14:21,880
along the way or even, you know, goals
 that might be slightly unachievable.

258
00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:25,640
But certainly once you get closer, once
 you hit those goals, don't be afraid to

259
00:14:25,680 --> 00:14:27,880
to reset and riggo again. 

260
00:14:27,880 --> 00:14:30,480
It's really heartening news
 because we all go through those

261
00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:31,640
periods of ups and downs. 

262
00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:34,000
And no matter what we do,
 we can't feel motivated.

263
00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:35,560
So I guess that's the importance 

264
00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:38,800
of emotional resilience
 and keeping that as part of your mindset.

265
00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:41,000
So thanks to you.
 Thank you for sharing that. 

266
00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:44,840
Yeah, I appreciate you
 sharing that challenge with us as well.

267
00:14:44,840 --> 00:14:48,800
And you mentioned the seasonal demands

268
00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:52,680
of your athletic career, and I can relate.

269
00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:56,120
Education is also
 a very seasonal industry.

270
00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:59,520
You know, things
 operate as seasonal calendars.

271
00:14:59,960 --> 00:15:03,200
But in my world, the routine has a lot
 to do with maintaining

272
00:15:03,880 --> 00:15:05,720
health physically and mentally. 

273
00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:08,080
And I think you've alluded to that. 

274
00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:12,680
So with seasonal changes,
 which many people relate to

275
00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:17,520
in one way or another, how do you maintain
 a routine that's centered on wellness?

276
00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:20,240
Oh, that's another
 great question, I think. 

277
00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:23,760
I think sometimes we view routine
 as this rigid kind

278
00:15:23,760 --> 00:15:27,000
of structure around,
 you know, wake up at 6:00 a.m.

279
00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,080
the gym for an hour, then eat, then do.

280
00:15:30,400 --> 00:15:33,520
And I don't think it necessarily has to be
 that rigid, I think.

281
00:15:33,880 --> 00:15:36,440
And especially once you start 

282
00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:40,640
having a few balls in the air in terms
 of whether it's study or work or children

283
00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:44,640
or kids pick up or whatever
 it might be, volunteer work.

284
00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:46,000
Once you've got some balls in the air, 

285
00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:48,040
you actually need to be
 a little bit fluid. 

286
00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:51,440
But again, the routine needs to come back
 to those pillars that

287
00:15:51,760 --> 00:15:55,320
that are really important to you,
 whether that be exercise.

288
00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:58,960
So it's you know, I exercise
 every single day regardless of where I am.

289
00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:03,480
And that exercise can vary from a
 you know, a really intense workout where

290
00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:08,120
I'm sitting on the floor afterwards or,
 you know, a simple 20, 25 minute

291
00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:11,880
walk of my dog listening to some music
 and getting some fresh air.

292
00:16:11,960 --> 00:16:15,360
And so in terms of routine,
 I think it's identifying

293
00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:18,720
what are these things
 that make you feel good and feel happy

294
00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:22,800
and then making sure that you implement
 them and force them into your routine

295
00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:24,120
wherever you get the opportunity. 

296
00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:27,840
Because, you know, unfortunately,
 you know, there are other things that

297
00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:29,880
that are pressing in your life,
 whether they're, 

298
00:16:29,880 --> 00:16:32,920
you know, assignment deadlines, work
 deadlines, all the rest of it.

299
00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:34,400
Hey, this is something I need to get done. 

300
00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:35,440
I can't put this off. 

301
00:16:35,440 --> 00:16:37,320
No problems. Let's get it done. 

302
00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:39,240
But then go for a walk or. 

303
00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:42,240
Yeah, just making sure you make time
 for things that are important

304
00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:44,280
to you and things that make you feel good. 

305
00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:47,560
I think it sounds like you also have
 a really good attitude about it, too.

306
00:16:47,560 --> 00:16:51,680
And that's probably an important part is
 is a little bit of being sort of forgiving

307
00:16:51,680 --> 00:16:55,960
towards oneself for not not doing exactly
 what's in the routine.

308
00:16:56,920 --> 00:16:58,400
You know what? I had others, 

309
00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:02,160
but we've already started
 to get some great questions in the chat.

310
00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:04,560
And so I'm going to say
 let's let's open it.

311
00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:05,800
Up and make the discussion 

312
00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:10,080
a wider forum, so
 thank you for your genuine answers then.

313
00:17:10,480 --> 00:17:13,400
Now we can open up for a Q&A

314
00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:16,760
and in the audience,
 you're welcome to turn off your mic.

315
00:17:17,160 --> 00:17:21,800
I'm going to jump into one
 that was just posted by Ronald Reagan,

316
00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:25,040
which is when in another country for a 20.

317
00:17:26,120 --> 00:17:29,920
How much is cricket versus
 how much is enjoying the difference

318
00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:33,680
in that culture further,
 given the sacrifices

319
00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:36,680
you need to make to be 100 percent present
 for your cricket?

320
00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:39,600
How do you make up
 the possibility of guilt

321
00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:42,920
of leaving your family
 behind or homesickness?

322
00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:46,040
Yeah, this is an incredible question,
 and that is certainly

323
00:17:46,040 --> 00:17:47,600
one of the big challenges at the moment. 

324
00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:51,480
And even more, you know, offset
 by the fact that you're in a

325
00:17:51,840 --> 00:17:55,360
bio secure bubble and most of these
 competitions around the world.

326
00:17:55,360 --> 00:17:56,280
So one of the great things 

327
00:17:56,280 --> 00:17:59,480
about playing 20, 20 cricket around
 the world is its great cricket.

328
00:17:59,840 --> 00:18:02,880
So I love cricket, which is awesome.
 You get to travel the world.

329
00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:07,360
A lot of travel take you get to experience
 different people, different cultures.

330
00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:10,760
Unfortunately, at the moment,
 given what is happening around the world,

331
00:18:10,760 --> 00:18:11,920
you know, you don't get that. 

332
00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:15,160
So you refined and
 and you stuck to your hotel room

333
00:18:15,480 --> 00:18:18,400
a lot to the point
 where, you know, at times it it's

334
00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:21,560
you can't even go to the hotel gym
 because that's blocked off.

335
00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:23,800
And you can't do
 you can only eat at certain times.

336
00:18:23,800 --> 00:18:26,120
So it becomes certainly very,
 very challenging.

337
00:18:26,120 --> 00:18:29,080
And you need to be comfortable
 in your own in your own company.

338
00:18:29,360 --> 00:18:34,120
And one of the great things
 that has helped me through it is studying

339
00:18:34,120 --> 00:18:38,520
along the way very quickly, getting on
 to the time zone that you're on.

340
00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:42,840
So one of the things I do to to do that
 is I always sleep with the curtains open.

341
00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:45,880
So often the sun will rise
 and it'll wake me up

342
00:18:45,880 --> 00:18:48,000
and that gets me onto that time zone.

343
00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:51,080
One of the worst feelings
 and I'm sure we've all been there

344
00:18:51,080 --> 00:18:53,080
is, you know, if you're in a dark room 

345
00:18:53,080 --> 00:18:55,040
and you look at the clock
 and it's it's 1:00 p.m. 

346
00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:58,360
and we slept half
 most of the most of the day away

347
00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:01,480
in terms of the feeling
 of guilt, I don't think.

348
00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:05,960
I can ever really get over that,
 you know, I've missed

349
00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:11,040
that many Christmases, the big bash
 now is is on over that summer period.

350
00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:14,160
I missed both my children's
 birthdays this year,

351
00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:18,600
and I couldn't even tell you how many
 birthdays of my wife that I've missed.

352
00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:21,360
Probably surprising
 that still she's still my wife.

353
00:19:21,960 --> 00:19:27,280
But I mean, you spend so much time away
 and it comes back to my my original

354
00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:30,320
one of the points I made
 earlier is being really clear on the

355
00:19:30,320 --> 00:19:31,400
why that you're doing it. 

356
00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:35,640
And that can sometimes help alleviate
 any sort of guilt and and that

357
00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:36,720
you might be feeling along the way. 

358
00:19:36,720 --> 00:19:40,320
But great question and certainly one
 that I'm sort of I'm not an expert in.

359
00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:43,080
I don't know the answers, but I'm doing
 my best to sort of work through it as.

360
00:19:44,040 --> 00:19:46,240
Well, that makes me actually 

361
00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:49,920
have another question,
 because it sounds like you do have to

362
00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:53,840
have a lot of sacrifice to be able
 to be successful in what you do.

363
00:19:54,760 --> 00:20:00,120
A lot of our students and staff
 are actually far from home in terms of far

364
00:20:00,120 --> 00:20:04,040
from their extended families or friends
 who may be overseas. I know I am.

365
00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:07,520
How do you deal with homesickness?

366
00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:11,520
I guess for me personally,
 it comes back to

367
00:20:12,360 --> 00:20:17,240
I try and get in a routine with my family
 depending on the time zone,

368
00:20:17,720 --> 00:20:22,880
so my children like similar time
 and I go to bed similar time every day.

369
00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:27,000
So wherever I am in the world,
 I try and make sure that, you know, I'm

370
00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:30,920
checking in with them at least once a day
 around one of those two time zones.

371
00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:34,960
And the worst homesickness I've felt
 was when I was in the Caribbean

372
00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:38,960
last August or last September,
 I went to boarding school, which is aside.

373
00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:43,120
And I so I've always been used
 to spending time away from my family.

374
00:20:43,120 --> 00:20:46,880
But in the Caribbean, the time zone,
 I think it's, you know, 16 hours

375
00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:47,800
or something ridiculous. 

376
00:20:47,800 --> 00:20:53,720
So marrying up to two routines of myself
 in the family was near impossible.

377
00:20:53,760 --> 00:20:56,160
And, you know, I felt myself
 going stretches of days

378
00:20:56,160 --> 00:21:00,200
without actually checking in and having
 that that interaction with my family.

379
00:21:00,200 --> 00:21:04,320
And that certainly impacted,
 you know, my wellbeing and my wellness.

380
00:21:04,320 --> 00:21:07,480
But also, yeah, that was certainly
 is as homesick as have ever been.

381
00:21:07,480 --> 00:21:11,080
So my advice would be to try and get
 into a routine with your family

382
00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:14,240
and all those those around you
 that are that are important

383
00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:17,400
could be friends
 and brothers and sisters or whoever

384
00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:19,400
it might be, get into a routine and then,

385
00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:22,040
you know, really hold yourself accountable
 and stick to it.

386
00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:25,240
You know, like if it is time to
 call the family or call your friends, drop

387
00:21:25,240 --> 00:21:26,080
what you're doing and 

388
00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:29,880
and make an effort to
 to reach out and make that communication.

389
00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:34,720
While we're waiting for questions,
 I have another question in the chat,

390
00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:36,720
and I'll ask him. Tom Baldwin,
 thanks for that question. 

391
00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:40,160
Tom, Tom asks, Have you thought about the

392
00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:45,160
which industry you'd like to go into
 after your career pivots from cricket?

393
00:21:45,520 --> 00:21:48,120
So what's kind of next for Ben Donk? 

394
00:21:48,120 --> 00:21:50,160
Goodness me, that is a
 really good question.

395
00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:54,320
So part of me would really like to go
 into a sports administration.

396
00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:57,280
You know, I'm drawn to sports.
 I've been in sport my whole life.

397
00:21:57,320 --> 00:22:01,920
I love sport. But,
 you know, on the other side of the coin,

398
00:22:01,920 --> 00:22:05,840
I wonder whether I'm really drawn to that
 area, because that's sort of what I know

399
00:22:05,840 --> 00:22:07,080
and that's what I'm comfortable with. 

400
00:22:07,080 --> 00:22:09,880
And we like to spend a lot of time
 in areas that we're comfortable.

401
00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:13,080
So I'm hoping that
 over the course of this MBA

402
00:22:13,120 --> 00:22:16,120
as well, though,
 those subjects will come along

403
00:22:16,120 --> 00:22:19,920
that will open my eyes
 to different industries and different,

404
00:22:20,360 --> 00:22:23,480
I guess, jobs along the way
 that I could potentially do.

405
00:22:23,880 --> 00:22:27,160
But yeah, I haven't set a clear
 path along the way.

406
00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:30,360
And that's one of the challenges
 coming from an athletic background,

407
00:22:30,360 --> 00:22:34,080
is that you always view your career
 in a linear sort of progression. Right.

408
00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:37,800
You start off, you know,
 playing underaged cricket, then you go to,

409
00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:43,040
you know, grade cricket, second eleven,
 first class cricket Australia .

410
00:22:43,040 --> 00:22:44,800
It's almost a perfect linear progression. 

411
00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:47,920
And one of the challenges for me
 at the moment is viewing

412
00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:51,760
my next career, that it's not going to be
 a perfect linear progression.

413
00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:52,680
You know, you might be jumping 

414
00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:56,720
around different aspects, but slowly
 making your way to to that Enma.

415
00:22:58,200 --> 00:22:59,960
Anybody else who feels like 

416
00:22:59,960 --> 00:23:02,960
jumping in for a question,
 you're welcome to unmake.

417
00:23:03,920 --> 00:23:05,640
That's Alex here. 

418
00:23:05,640 --> 00:23:07,040
I was really, really 

419
00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:12,440
fascinated by your story about playing
 for Australia and having that as a goal.

420
00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:15,680
And, you know, I'm
 really into sports myself.

421
00:23:15,680 --> 00:23:18,440
And you hear more
 and more from athletes that these days

422
00:23:18,960 --> 00:23:22,800
they're trying to less less
 so focus on the outcome, which could be,

423
00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:26,760
you know, your gold medal
 or your win or whatever it might be.

424
00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:29,320
But focusing on the process
 and it sounds like

425
00:23:29,840 --> 00:23:32,600
when you eventually got to playing
 for Australia, that's what happened.

426
00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:34,560
You know, you're actually restyle come 

427
00:23:34,560 --> 00:23:37,160
and then all of a sudden
 you realize that wasn't your end goal.

428
00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:42,760
And you've already mentioned how important
 it is to stay in the moment with things.

429
00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:45,320
How do you actually go about that? 

430
00:23:45,320 --> 00:23:47,920
And what tools could you provide us

431
00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:51,760
here today to help stay in the moment
 instead of focus on the outcome?

432
00:23:53,560 --> 00:23:54,600
In terms of actual 

433
00:23:54,600 --> 00:24:00,280
tools, you know, again, I'm a really big
 sort of goal setter, so, you know,

434
00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:03,760
you start off with whatever that goal
 might be in whatever industry it is.

435
00:24:03,800 --> 00:24:07,800
So for me, going forward at the moment,
 my next cricket looks like it

436
00:24:07,800 --> 00:24:11,560
possibly will be a T 10 tournament
 in Abu Dhabi in November.

437
00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:14,640
So for me there,
 I'll sit down before a tournament

438
00:24:14,640 --> 00:24:18,520
and I'll focus in on what am I trying
 to achieve through this tournament.

439
00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:22,640
And it'll be a really strict
 sort of goal runs oriented.

440
00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:24,160
I want to score X amount of runs. 

441
00:24:24,160 --> 00:24:27,120
I want my team to finish,
 know obviously win,

442
00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:30,720
and I want to contribute
 to X amount of actual victories.

443
00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:33,040
And then I just sort of work
 my way back from there. Right.

444
00:24:33,040 --> 00:24:35,400
How am I going to do that?
 What does that entail?

445
00:24:36,120 --> 00:24:38,640
All the way back
 to what's my preparation like?

446
00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:41,680
So I'm in Hobart
 now. I'm going to be in Abu Dhabi.

447
00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:43,120
How's that going to look? 

448
00:24:43,120 --> 00:24:45,160
What am I doing?
 What skills is my focusing on?

449
00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:47,760
And that just helps me then sort of,

450
00:24:48,360 --> 00:24:51,120
I guess, channel everything
 that I'm doing towards that end goal.

451
00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:52,520
If that makes sense. 

452
00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:55,720
And I guess I haven't really apply
 that to the business world,

453
00:24:55,720 --> 00:24:59,800
but I would assume that, you know,
 the same sort of process can can

454
00:25:00,040 --> 00:25:02,240
really take hold or certainly my study.

455
00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:05,400
So I sat down the other day
 and it was kind of like, hey, what

456
00:25:05,680 --> 00:25:07,360
what am I trying to do
 here with this study? 

457
00:25:07,360 --> 00:25:09,760
Am I just trying to pass
 or am I trying to excel or what?

458
00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:11,920
Like what am I actually
 trying to get out of this,

459
00:25:12,360 --> 00:25:14,000
you know, and made myself a goal. 

460
00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:18,040
Hey, I don't want to just scrape through
 by, you know, fifty one percent.

461
00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:20,920
I'm going to try and absolutely nail this.
 And what does that look like?

462
00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:22,320
Well, it looks like spending an extra 

463
00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:25,920
couple of hours a week on on each subject
 and trying to do that.

464
00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:30,440
So, yeah, I'm hoping a lot of the lessons
 that I've learned in my cricket

465
00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:33,320
career can carry over into my next career.

466
00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:36,640
But what I'd like to ask me
 now, it's a question

467
00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:39,640
actually that came from Rob Reagen,
 and I'm going to build on that a bit.

468
00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:42,920
We know that cricket is
 has got its ups and downs.

469
00:25:42,920 --> 00:25:45,960
And, you know, we want to know
 how you pull your way through that

470
00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:46,800
through the downs. 

471
00:25:46,800 --> 00:25:48,840
And and what I'm really curious about.

472
00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:50,960
I've been thinking as I'm listening. 

473
00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:52,240
I find cricket to be fun. 

474
00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:55,880
You know, on Christmas Day, I play cricket
 with the kids in entertainment for me.

475
00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:58,120
But it's work for you.
 I never thought about it that way.

476
00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:03,320
So what do you do for fun
 to pull yourself out of the work routine?

477
00:26:04,760 --> 00:26:07,040
First of all, there
 are some serious challenges,

478
00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:10,840
and to allude to your first question
 around some of the

479
00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:15,040
some of the dark at times,
 I guess that you that I would talk about,

480
00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:19,040
you know, always being dropped
 or told that I'm not good enough.

481
00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:21,920
So many times along my journey. 

482
00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:25,760
And one of the things I'm really proud of
 and hang my hat is on is my,

483
00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:30,080
you know, perseverance and resilience
 just to to get up and go again.

484
00:26:30,080 --> 00:26:35,320
Or maybe it's a sign of my inability
 to read between the lines

485
00:26:35,320 --> 00:26:39,200
and get the message to read the message
 that other people are telling me.

486
00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:41,800
But, you know, it is
 it is certainly an industry

487
00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:43,520
where you call up a lot of blows 

488
00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:46,520
and you couple a lot of blows around
 things that are really important to you.

489
00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:49,880
Now, when you dropped or fired

490
00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:52,400
from a team, this is this
 is someone telling you, you know,

491
00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:55,720
what you're putting out isn't good enough
 or we don't like what you do.

492
00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:58,120
And that's really, really hard to hear. 

493
00:26:58,120 --> 00:27:02,040
And when it comes around something
 that you love and you've always loved,

494
00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:05,360
that makes it even even harder
 to hear, I guess.

495
00:27:06,240 --> 00:27:09,640
So the way that I've got
 through a lot of that

496
00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:14,040
and it's probably one of the reasons
 why towards the end of my career,

497
00:27:14,320 --> 00:27:18,120
when my career finished up in first class
 cricket and I was told,

498
00:27:18,120 --> 00:27:22,520
I like, you know, you're 30 now,
 it's time for you to move on.

499
00:27:22,520 --> 00:27:25,280
I was actually really ready for that
 because I'd achieved

500
00:27:25,360 --> 00:27:28,440
what I really wanted to achieve.
 I played for Australia.

501
00:27:28,680 --> 00:27:32,240
Test cricket was probably out of reach,
 and I was happy for it to be out of reach.

502
00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:35,680
And I was ready to move
 on, whereas I got to hold that news

503
00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:39,200
eight years before by Queensland,
 which is an interesting story.

504
00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:41,240
You know, we were traveling overseas,
 and this is probably

505
00:27:41,240 --> 00:27:44,920
a good insight into how brutal
 professional sports can be.

506
00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:48,080
We left Australia,
 my girlfriend at the time, who is now

507
00:27:48,080 --> 00:27:51,160
my wife, to go traveling overseas
 to see a family. She's Irish.

508
00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:54,800
And then we're going on
 to the US for a wedding.

509
00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:56,600
And I was told that, yep, no problems. 

510
00:27:56,600 --> 00:27:59,680
You've got a contract when you come back,
 start training, all the rest of it.

511
00:28:00,160 --> 00:28:02,920
So we go off on this holiday.
 You know, it's late June.

512
00:28:03,360 --> 00:28:06,840
We go through Ireland,
 see a family head on to the USA.

513
00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:09,680
When I land in New York,
 I've got a voicemail on my cell phone

514
00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:10,880
from the selective saying, 

515
00:28:10,880 --> 00:28:14,440
hey, we're really sorry that
 you've been squeezed off the contact list.

516
00:28:15,040 --> 00:28:18,280
And, you know, I'm walking through JFK
 Airport thinking, goodness

517
00:28:18,280 --> 00:28:21,720
me, I'm now unemployed.
 You know what? I'm about to go on.

518
00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:22,440
Yeah, I'll do it. 

519
00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:24,400
Two weeks of this holiday to go. 

520
00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:27,040
I'm heading back to essentially nothing.

521
00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:31,520
And that's a small insight,
 I guess, to some of the challenges

522
00:28:31,520 --> 00:28:35,360
that, you know, professional athletes,
 you know, facing day in, day out.

523
00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:36,760
That's a sad story. 

524
00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:39,680
It's like it's like being fired
 without due process.

525
00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:42,320
And that would really hurt
 me, I got to say.

526
00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:45,640
Yeah, well, don't get me wrong.
 It certainly hurt me.

527
00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:48,640
I've got another story which, you know, 

528
00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:50,640
when you when you're
 in the Australian team,

529
00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:53,480
the next series,
 I guess, that comes along.

530
00:28:53,800 --> 00:28:57,560
If you don't get a phone call,
 you have to assume that you're

531
00:28:57,560 --> 00:29:01,600
in that team. If that makes sense,
 you only get a phone call with bad news.

532
00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:04,600
So I played that first series
 against South Africa,

533
00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:06,160
and I think it was four
 or five months or whatever 

534
00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:09,160
it might be between twenty twenty series
 and the next series is coming up.

535
00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:12,920
And I'm thinking I'm not sure
 whether I'll get retained here.

536
00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:17,880
Like, you know, the series was just so
 anyway, as the day the announcement

537
00:29:17,880 --> 00:29:21,400
gets closer and closer and closer,
 I, I haven't got this phone call.

538
00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:23,680
So I'm thinking on 

539
00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:26,640
how good I'm about
 to get my second chance to

540
00:29:27,200 --> 00:29:29,840
rectify some of the wrongs that I made
 in that first series

541
00:29:29,840 --> 00:29:33,000
and you know, really, you know, show
 that I, you know, I can be at this level.

542
00:29:33,040 --> 00:29:36,920
So I was playing for Tasmania
 at the time, went to training the day

543
00:29:36,920 --> 00:29:39,720
of the announcement. Still no phone call
 and thinking, how good is this?

544
00:29:39,720 --> 00:29:40,560
This is amazing. 

545
00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:44,000
I'm you know, I'm going to
 get another chance and go do my training.

546
00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:47,760
You know, I go into our change rooms
 afterwards, sitting off the training,

547
00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:48,640
and I'm scrolling 

548
00:29:48,640 --> 00:29:52,960
through social media needlessly, like I'd
 probably have done a lot of my life.

549
00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:56,360
And I find I come across
 that the team announcement

550
00:29:56,360 --> 00:29:58,880
and I think, all right,
 who am I going to England with?

551
00:29:59,480 --> 00:30:02,640
Only to find that my name's not
 on the list and I'd been I'd been dropped.

552
00:30:02,640 --> 00:30:05,880
So that was a pretty brutal way
 to find out that, you know,

553
00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:08,560
my dream of flying for Australia was over.

554
00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:11,760
But now this is one of those things,
 one of these hurdles

555
00:30:11,760 --> 00:30:12,720
that you have to overcome.

556
00:30:13,760 --> 00:30:15,040
I've got a question. 

557
00:30:15,040 --> 00:30:18,160
Then remember, again,
 just Australia has got

558
00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:23,040
an incredible tradition
 in terms of cricketing ability.

559
00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:27,440
I've always thought of as a newbie walking
 into that Australian team

560
00:30:27,440 --> 00:30:32,560
of superstars, that must be
 a really intimidating process.

561
00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:33,680
And how does that work? 

562
00:30:33,680 --> 00:30:37,680
Firstly, sort of understanding
 that you're good enough,

563
00:30:37,680 --> 00:30:41,600
first of all, when you're sitting next
 to Steve Smith or whoever it is.

564
00:30:41,760 --> 00:30:44,760
And then secondly, through your cricket
 journey, at what point?

565
00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:51,400
Did post cricket become at least as
 important to you as your cricket career?

566
00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:53,840
Two amazing questions. 

567
00:30:53,840 --> 00:30:57,680
And your first question,
 I think probably really not.

568
00:30:57,680 --> 00:31:01,320
Nails or hits close to home, in a sense,
 is one of the reasons why

569
00:31:01,840 --> 00:31:03,560
I probably didn't
 have the international career 

570
00:31:03,560 --> 00:31:06,920
that I've possibly or potentially could
 have is when I was sitting next

571
00:31:06,920 --> 00:31:12,080
to Steve Smith or Shane Watson or whoever
 it might have been at the time, is that

572
00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:16,480
I didn't really believe that I was good
 enough to be sitting next to them.

573
00:31:16,480 --> 00:31:19,720
And I think self belief, you know,
 is something that is so important

574
00:31:20,200 --> 00:31:22,800
when it comes to for me at a high level.

575
00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:24,800
Again, whatever industry that you're in,

576
00:31:25,520 --> 00:31:28,360
you know, you need to have the belief
 that you can contribute

577
00:31:28,360 --> 00:31:31,720
and you need to have the belief that, hey,
 you know, I'm part of this.

578
00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:35,920
And not only am I part of this, but,
 you know, I can really contribute here

579
00:31:35,920 --> 00:31:36,680
and make a difference. 

580
00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:39,880
So how that works is, you know,
 they do their best.

581
00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:41,000
You know, the individuals 

582
00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:44,400
and I certainly don't blame Steve or Shane
 for for that at all.

583
00:31:44,440 --> 00:31:46,680
You know, they do their best
 to make you feel welcome, 

584
00:31:46,680 --> 00:31:48,440
but ultimately, you don't feel welcome 

585
00:31:48,440 --> 00:31:50,960
or you don't feel like you belong
 until you've performed. Right.

586
00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:54,080
It's one of those sort
 of what comes first, chicken or the egg.

587
00:31:54,120 --> 00:31:57,560
I feel like I belong
 and therefore I perform or do I perform

588
00:31:57,560 --> 00:32:00,360
and then I feel like I belong.
 So it's kind of one of those ones.

589
00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:04,320
It's one of the reasons
 why I try and get young guys in early,

590
00:32:04,600 --> 00:32:07,960
you know, so that when they go back
 to first class level and when I come back

591
00:32:07,960 --> 00:32:12,000
a second time, that they're ready or,
 you know, in the case of someone

592
00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:14,560
like a Steve Smith, when they're young
 and they're in there,

593
00:32:15,120 --> 00:32:18,560
sometimes the youthful
 exuberance just comes out.

594
00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:20,800
They're not you know, there's
 no scars, there's no fear.

595
00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:22,760
They just go out and play
 and they have their success. 

596
00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:24,840
And, you know, they're on their way.

597
00:32:26,080 --> 00:32:26,840
The second question is 

598
00:32:26,840 --> 00:32:30,160
a really good one,
 I think probably for me.

599
00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:34,840
You know, when I had my first sorry,
 when we had our first child

600
00:32:35,240 --> 00:32:39,560
and it become apparent that
 I was no longer just looking after myself,

601
00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:43,480
I think I was very selfish
 and sometimes still.

602
00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:46,440
And when it comes
 to my professional career, I

603
00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:50,920
you contribute or you work
 so hard to get there,

604
00:32:51,240 --> 00:32:53,160
you sort of want to hold it
 and hold it and hold it. 

605
00:32:53,160 --> 00:32:55,600
And, you know, going back to my point
 around tunnel vision,

606
00:32:56,680 --> 00:32:59,680
I was just trying to get everything
 I could and play as many games I could

607
00:32:59,680 --> 00:33:01,200
and do as well as I could. 

608
00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:04,920
And then when I realized
 that another human being was now,

609
00:33:05,600 --> 00:33:07,960
you know, really reliant on me, I thought,

610
00:33:07,960 --> 00:33:11,960
goodness me, I need to I need to start
 preparing here for the future.

611
00:33:12,040 --> 00:33:15,880
And, you know, this is also when I started
 to play some of my best cricket as well.

612
00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:18,040
You know, once I had other things
 going on in my life,

613
00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:19,720
all of a sudden cricket on a day to day 

614
00:33:19,720 --> 00:33:23,560
basis become the game that I love,
 like I played when I was a kid.

615
00:33:23,680 --> 00:33:26,640
It wasn't my job because,
 you know, I had other things to do.

616
00:33:27,800 --> 00:33:31,840
I mean, my question
 is, I know you play wicketkeeper,

617
00:33:31,840 --> 00:33:34,800
so this position means
 that there's a lot of pressure on you,

618
00:33:35,320 --> 00:33:38,960
but physical and mental skills do
 do you need to play that role?

619
00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:42,560
First of all, physically,
 I think it's probably one of the more

620
00:33:42,560 --> 00:33:44,520
demanding positions in the field. 

621
00:33:44,520 --> 00:33:48,040
You know, you're sort of in the game
 where every ball really.

622
00:33:48,440 --> 00:33:52,040
And then you couple that with the fact
 that almost a batsman as well.

623
00:33:52,280 --> 00:33:54,560
There's not really a ball in the game.

624
00:33:54,560 --> 00:33:57,480
If I'm doing my role really
 well that, you know, I'm not a part of it.

625
00:33:58,040 --> 00:34:03,360
So physically, absolutely need
 to be quite feet strong and in my legs,

626
00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:05,840
obviously do a lot of leg lights
 and that sort of thing.

627
00:34:06,440 --> 00:34:09,120
Mentally, I try and do
 a lot of visualization.

628
00:34:09,120 --> 00:34:11,440
I find that really helps
 in terms of preparation.

629
00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:14,400
So to prepare, you know, I'll watch them,

630
00:34:14,760 --> 00:34:18,600
I'll watch footage
 or watch previous games of my opposition,

631
00:34:19,120 --> 00:34:20,360
but then I'll take it 

632
00:34:20,360 --> 00:34:23,440
sort of one step further
 and put all the lights out in my room

633
00:34:23,440 --> 00:34:27,360
and try and visualize that I'm actually
 in the moment with that person,

634
00:34:27,360 --> 00:34:31,240
because I find by doing that,
 I can actually feel some of the emotions.

635
00:34:31,240 --> 00:34:34,040
Like I can almost put myself in a state
 where I'm nervous

636
00:34:34,040 --> 00:34:37,480
visualizing, facing,
 and so that when it comes game time

637
00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:41,960
and I get into that position, you know,
 there's a bit of familiarity around it.

638
00:34:41,960 --> 00:34:46,720
So those nerves aren't as consuming,
 if that makes sense in a weird

639
00:34:46,720 --> 00:34:50,360
kind of way, sort of preparing yourself
 for the worst so that when you feel it in

640
00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:53,800
in the game, it's not as if

641
00:34:53,840 --> 00:34:57,600
performance was not deducting so much
 from a performance.

642
00:34:58,000 --> 00:34:59,280
Yeah, I think that kind of makes sense. 

643
00:34:59,280 --> 00:35:03,080
You're kind of setting the expectation
 and then mentally prepared for that.

644
00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:04,920
Yeah, trying to. Yeah. 

645
00:35:04,920 --> 00:35:07,720
Thanks for that question. Thanks, Ben. 

646
00:35:07,720 --> 00:35:12,080
I'll asked earlier bibel team
 for this season.

647
00:35:12,840 --> 00:35:14,280
Well, that's a good question. 

648
00:35:14,280 --> 00:35:18,360
You know, I I've spent 10 years,
 I think, playing in the big bash.

649
00:35:18,920 --> 00:35:21,800
And over that time,
 I think I've had to maybe two,

650
00:35:21,800 --> 00:35:24,360
maybe three Christmases with my family.

651
00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:28,560
And now I've got two young kids,
 one who definitely knows what Sander is

652
00:35:28,560 --> 00:35:31,160
and has pretty high expectations
 of staying there at the moment,

653
00:35:31,160 --> 00:35:34,360
which is a little bit worrying,
 just sort of weighing out

654
00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:39,240
whether to continue playing
 in the big bash or whether to explore

655
00:35:39,240 --> 00:35:42,600
some of the tournament that are around
 Christmas, but not right in,

656
00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:45,680
you know, among Christmas overseas.

657
00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:46,920
And that certainly depends on 

658
00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:50,760
where we're at as a country
 in terms of allowing overseas travel.

659
00:35:50,840 --> 00:35:52,800
You know, I've been fortunate
 enough to go overseas 

660
00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:57,120
a couple of times whilst
 the borders are closed, but the quarantine

661
00:35:57,120 --> 00:35:59,920
that's required on the way back
 certainly takes a bit of a toll in itself.

662
00:35:59,920 --> 00:36:03,800
So, yeah, I'm just waiting
 and seeing how we progress

663
00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:06,040
as a country, I guess, over
 the next couple of months

664
00:36:06,040 --> 00:36:07,640
before I make any
 sort of decisions on that.

665
00:36:09,280 --> 00:36:13,880
Ben, what is the process
 for finding a C20 team around the globe,

666
00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:16,920
how much comes to you and how much
 do you have to position yourself?

667
00:36:18,360 --> 00:36:22,640
I think it's a good question,
 the process for a start

668
00:36:22,640 --> 00:36:27,120
is a Tornero pop up
 in, let's say, the Caribbean, for example.

669
00:36:27,440 --> 00:36:30,360
They're about to start
 in, I think, about two weeks.

670
00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:35,360
So back in May, they will take expressions
 of interest freaker from players.

671
00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:40,640
And I have an agent to put my name forward
 along with realistically thousands

672
00:36:40,640 --> 00:36:41,280
of other cricketers 

673
00:36:41,280 --> 00:36:44,360
from around the world who are trying
 to get one of these contracts.

674
00:36:44,680 --> 00:36:48,200
And then, you know, you sort of sit there
 almost like an auction.

675
00:36:48,240 --> 00:36:52,560
You just wait and hope
 that the performances that you've done

676
00:36:53,120 --> 00:36:55,720
previously or you're
 you know, a lot of the time

677
00:36:55,720 --> 00:37:00,520
your association with coaches and players
 and captains of these teams

678
00:37:00,520 --> 00:37:04,480
start to start to come to effect
 because, you know,

679
00:37:04,560 --> 00:37:07,040
with so many players,
 so many good players around the world,

680
00:37:07,240 --> 00:37:10,560
it's not always just about performance,
 about what else can you provide or

681
00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:12,840
what else can you offer us
 whilst you're in our environment.

682
00:37:13,440 --> 00:37:15,360
And then, yeah, it's either a yes or a no. 

683
00:37:15,360 --> 00:37:17,040
And, you know, they have
 these draft night. 

684
00:37:17,040 --> 00:37:19,640
So they have these auctions
 where, you know, at six o'clock,

685
00:37:19,840 --> 00:37:22,880
the auction will start
 and you can tune in if you'd like.

686
00:37:23,360 --> 00:37:25,520
You know, I've got a funny story, I guess.

687
00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:30,600
You know, my first experience in an IPL
 or auction was in 2013.

688
00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:34,120
And I was the leading run scorer of the
 big bash at that time, I think was 2013.

689
00:37:34,160 --> 00:37:38,400
Anyway, back then anyway, and the previous
 leading rounds to a previous high

690
00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:42,840
performers of the big bash, you know,
 had done very well at these IPL auctions.

691
00:37:42,840 --> 00:37:44,800
And I'm talking,
 you know, eight hundred thousand nine 

692
00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:48,240
hundred thousand million dollar contracts
 and the auctions coming out.

693
00:37:48,240 --> 00:37:50,240
You know, it's in a couple of days time. 

694
00:37:50,240 --> 00:37:53,560
And I'm getting calls
 from different coaches in these

695
00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:57,360
IPL franchises that I'm thinking this is
 great, know this is going to be amazing.

696
00:37:57,840 --> 00:37:58,640
And it comes around. 

697
00:37:58,640 --> 00:37:59,600
And I was playing a 

698
00:37:59,600 --> 00:38:02,760
Sheffield Shield game over in Perth
 when the IPL auction was on,

699
00:38:03,360 --> 00:38:04,920
and I'm fielding on the boundary . 

700
00:38:04,920 --> 00:38:07,800
But my mind is absolutely
 racing like it is.

701
00:38:07,920 --> 00:38:11,360
And I know that I'm coming up at three, 45
 or whatever it is.

702
00:38:11,360 --> 00:38:14,000
My name is coming up in my mind is racing.

703
00:38:14,000 --> 00:38:14,920
So I'm thinking, you know, 

704
00:38:14,920 --> 00:38:18,280
I could come off this field
 and my whole life could be changed.

705
00:38:18,920 --> 00:38:21,680
And as much as I said before, you know,
 it's about staying in the present.

706
00:38:21,680 --> 00:38:24,120
I was not in the present.
 I was walking off the field.

707
00:38:24,120 --> 00:38:27,520
You know, I was a millionaire anyway.
 So I'm sitting out in a boundary.

708
00:38:27,520 --> 00:38:31,040
And there's 15 people that ever
 come to watch a Sheffield Shield game.

709
00:38:31,040 --> 00:38:33,120
And one of them pops out and says, hey,

710
00:38:33,960 --> 00:38:36,840
you've just you've just gone
 in the IPL auction.

711
00:38:36,840 --> 00:38:39,480
Do you want to know
 what what you went for?

712
00:38:39,920 --> 00:38:42,000
And so I like you
 know, it's running through my mind.

713
00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:43,960
Like, you know, sometimes I turn around
 and sort of say, 

714
00:38:43,960 --> 00:38:46,160
yeah, yeah, yeah, I want to. 

715
00:38:46,160 --> 00:38:49,600
And he says, zero, you've been passed in.

716
00:38:49,600 --> 00:38:51,080
And I went, oh, my goodness. 

717
00:38:51,080 --> 00:38:54,400
My whole afternoon was absolutely,
 absolutely shattered.

718
00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:56,720
And it was a really good set. A moment
 I was thinking, why?

719
00:38:56,720 --> 00:38:59,880
Why have you got so caught up in this?

720
00:38:59,880 --> 00:39:03,000
Why are you here playing a game?
 What are you doing?

721
00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:05,600
You know, but it's it is,
 I guess, a good example,

722
00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:08,800
you know, that as much as you can
 put these things in place that, you know,

723
00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:12,040
you try your best at Tonja,
 you do you do wonder,

724
00:39:12,680 --> 00:39:15,800
OK, we've got a hand up from Michelle
 and then some really

725
00:39:15,800 --> 00:39:18,840
good questions from Lisa
 and Tom that I think we'll have time for.

726
00:39:18,840 --> 00:39:21,120
So over to you, Michelle. 

727
00:39:21,120 --> 00:39:25,280
Thank you, Ben. Thank you once again
 for making yourself available to everyone.

728
00:39:25,280 --> 00:39:27,640
It's been really interesting
 listening to you.

729
00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:31,040
My question for you is it would have been

730
00:39:31,640 --> 00:39:35,640
can't even begin to imagine the feeling
 you had when you were in the US

731
00:39:35,640 --> 00:39:41,200
and got that message to say, you know,
 you're not part of the team any longer .

732
00:39:41,200 --> 00:39:45,240
And by the sounds of it, there's been
 a few setbacks that you've had.

733
00:39:45,800 --> 00:39:49,360
What have you attempting to to
 to mentally get over that

734
00:39:49,360 --> 00:39:53,600
and some strategies
 to get your head back, back into focus.

735
00:39:54,240 --> 00:39:57,760
You know, back into the positive, Becky,
 wanting to do or perhaps,

736
00:39:57,760 --> 00:40:00,880
you know, setting a different goal.
 And how do you start all over again?

737
00:40:01,360 --> 00:40:03,360
Yeah, I mean, it's an amazing question. 

738
00:40:03,360 --> 00:40:07,160
I you know, it's
 it's really unfortunate that I had this

739
00:40:07,160 --> 00:40:10,760
great holiday and wedding
 and and a great friend of mine wedding.

740
00:40:10,760 --> 00:40:13,800
But all I can remember from that trip is
 that is that voicemail really

741
00:40:14,520 --> 00:40:16,000
in terms of actual strategies. 

742
00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:19,040
I think early on in my career,
 I really had nothing else,

743
00:40:19,360 --> 00:40:21,240
you know, like I'd finish school. 

744
00:40:21,240 --> 00:40:22,080
I did, you know, 

745
00:40:22,080 --> 00:40:26,040
I think a year of a business degree
 and didn't love it at that stage.

746
00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:27,480
It wasn't, you know, 

747
00:40:27,480 --> 00:40:30,360
flexible learning or online learning,
 you know, it wasn't really a thing. So

748
00:40:30,360 --> 00:40:33,680
I was missing trainings to go to lectures
 and all sorts of things like that.

749
00:40:33,680 --> 00:40:35,040
And it wasn't my thing. 

750
00:40:35,040 --> 00:40:37,600
I had this goal that I wanted
 to play for Australia, and

751
00:40:39,120 --> 00:40:40,800
I was going to try and move 

752
00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:44,840
heaven and earth and everything in between
 just to try and play for Australia.

753
00:40:44,840 --> 00:40:47,000
So, you know, I made a commitment

754
00:40:47,440 --> 00:40:50,800
to myself, I guess, and thought, now
 I'm going to I'm going to see this through

755
00:40:50,800 --> 00:40:54,120
and give it everything I could get
 or everything I could.

756
00:40:54,680 --> 00:40:57,120
So, you know, waking up, 

757
00:40:57,120 --> 00:41:01,480
I guess I look back and waking up during
 that holiday was it was it was terrible

758
00:41:01,480 --> 00:41:04,760
because I had all of these thoughts
 around, you know, maybe I'm like,

759
00:41:04,760 --> 00:41:06,920
I'm doing it wrong
 and maybe I'm doing the wrong thing

760
00:41:06,920 --> 00:41:10,080
by committing most of my adult life
 to playing games.

761
00:41:10,920 --> 00:41:13,560
But in terms of actual strategies,
 I don't know really,

762
00:41:13,600 --> 00:41:17,040
I've inherently just been a hard worker,
 I've always worked really, really hard

763
00:41:17,480 --> 00:41:18,360
and I'm an optimist. 

764
00:41:18,360 --> 00:41:21,360
Right. Like I think, you know, good things
 happen to good people.

765
00:41:21,640 --> 00:41:23,800
And I work my way out of most situations.

766
00:41:23,800 --> 00:41:26,840
You know, like if I'm not good enough,
 maybe they're right. I'm not good enough.

767
00:41:26,840 --> 00:41:28,920
I'll just work harder
 and I'll become good enough.

768
00:41:28,920 --> 00:41:32,160
And now I'll show them
 kind of attitude, I guess.

769
00:41:32,600 --> 00:41:33,960
Yeah, it's a good question. 

770
00:41:33,960 --> 00:41:36,400
I don't really know really the answer.

771
00:41:36,680 --> 00:41:38,760
Yeah, I've just had a dream
 of always doing it.

772
00:41:38,760 --> 00:41:44,520
And yeah, I've just tried to do it,
 which I know. Is it ordinary

773
00:41:45,760 --> 00:41:46,920
answer to what your question? 

774
00:41:46,920 --> 00:41:48,720
Is this legal with me? 

775
00:41:48,720 --> 00:41:50,600
I'm going to have to think over
 the next couple of minutes, I'll come up 

776
00:41:50,600 --> 00:41:54,080
with something better than that,
 because I'm just terrible really now.

777
00:41:54,560 --> 00:41:55,560
And I think sometimes 

778
00:41:55,560 --> 00:41:59,600
it is just the simple things is, you know,
 it's just getting back on on the horse

779
00:41:59,600 --> 00:42:03,920
and then just keep that focus
 and that vision and don't give up.

780
00:42:03,920 --> 00:42:08,960
And and it sometimes through these
 really difficult times in the not

781
00:42:09,320 --> 00:42:13,640
that that's where you reinvent yourself
 when you do find a different strain.

782
00:42:13,640 --> 00:42:15,960
So they don't always the negative.

783
00:42:15,960 --> 00:42:19,240
So, yeah, that's scary.
 No, no, that is spot on.

784
00:42:19,240 --> 00:42:20,360
And I think I think what you're 

785
00:42:20,360 --> 00:42:23,800
what you're saying is is really,
 really important, because, I mean, I had

786
00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:25,960
I had more you know, I sort of sounded

787
00:42:26,120 --> 00:42:27,120
like I didn't have any of these 

788
00:42:27,120 --> 00:42:29,840
self doubts in a sense that I was,
 you know, on this mission,

789
00:42:30,160 --> 00:42:31,920
had so many self doubts along the way. 

790
00:42:31,920 --> 00:42:33,480
You know, I remember
 sitting down with my parents 

791
00:42:33,480 --> 00:42:35,760
and my parents saying, look,
 this is this is silly.

792
00:42:35,760 --> 00:42:38,240
You know, you've got to
 you've got to do something else.

793
00:42:38,240 --> 00:42:39,600
This isn't going to be a career 

794
00:42:39,600 --> 00:42:41,360
and you're not going to achieve
 what you want to achieve. 

795
00:42:41,360 --> 00:42:45,160
And I think back now and as a parent,
 I think, my goodness, what terrible advice

796
00:42:45,160 --> 00:42:47,840
from parents to give a kid like, you know,
 what are you doing?

797
00:42:48,200 --> 00:42:50,320
And I've often spoken
 to about my parents about

798
00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:53,280
and they're like, well, you know, just try
 and do the best for you at the time.

799
00:42:54,120 --> 00:42:56,720
But I was stubborn and I had this goal
 and I had this dream.

800
00:42:56,720 --> 00:42:57,840
And I thought, no, I can do it. 

801
00:42:57,840 --> 00:43:00,800
I can do it. I can do it now. Yeah. Yeah.

802
00:43:01,080 --> 00:43:04,960
Like I said, kept working
 and working and working. Thank you.

803
00:43:05,600 --> 00:43:09,760
OK, we've got we've got time for
 I think these two more we've got

804
00:43:10,400 --> 00:43:13,520
sneezer has got a great question
 about about teamwork.

805
00:43:13,800 --> 00:43:16,800
And so what are your tips for working

806
00:43:16,800 --> 00:43:19,880
well in a team and
 making sure you're excelling?

807
00:43:20,960 --> 00:43:23,480
Yeah, this is something
 where I sort of pride myself

808
00:43:23,480 --> 00:43:27,400
on, actually, it's part of my you know,
 my personal values is being a really,

809
00:43:27,400 --> 00:43:28,560
really good team member. 

810
00:43:28,560 --> 00:43:32,200
And my my tips for this is spend the time.

811
00:43:32,600 --> 00:43:35,240
So spend the time
 to get to know your teammates,

812
00:43:35,480 --> 00:43:39,360
because, you know, by
 getting to know them, you'll know then

813
00:43:39,960 --> 00:43:44,080
what makes them tick, what motivates them,
 what gets them out of bed

814
00:43:44,080 --> 00:43:47,040
in the morning, what family to have,
 you know, just get to know them

815
00:43:47,040 --> 00:43:48,640
and you know, they will help 

816
00:43:48,640 --> 00:43:50,280
you get to know yourself
 as well as they get to know 

817
00:43:50,280 --> 00:43:54,480
your teammates, try and be
 a positive influence in every aspect.

818
00:43:54,480 --> 00:43:58,440
So, you know, often
 you'll have things to say,

819
00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:00,840
but have a have a think about
 whether you are saying

820
00:44:00,840 --> 00:44:02,480
that for the benefit of the team
 or you saying it 

821
00:44:02,480 --> 00:44:04,440
just to get it off your chest,
 if that makes sense. 

822
00:44:04,440 --> 00:44:07,560
So like in terms of our review meetings,
 I can get, they can get quite heated.

823
00:44:07,560 --> 00:44:09,840
And one of the lessons
 that I've learned through there is like

824
00:44:10,400 --> 00:44:13,880
I might be emotional and I might be
 really upset that we lost that game.

825
00:44:13,880 --> 00:44:17,000
But what I'm about to say
 is that going to be beneficial

826
00:44:17,000 --> 00:44:20,200
to the team or am I just saying that
 to make myself feel good?

827
00:44:20,200 --> 00:44:22,880
You know, and that's really helped me
 along the way as well, you know,

828
00:44:23,760 --> 00:44:28,680
realizing what you're trying to achieve
 as a group and then just try

829
00:44:28,680 --> 00:44:32,640
and support yourself in there
 and and do what's required for that team.

830
00:44:32,760 --> 00:44:36,280
But yeah, I think, you know, it's
 a really good, good point.

831
00:44:36,280 --> 00:44:38,600
And it's a really, I think, sought after.

832
00:44:38,600 --> 00:44:41,040
I'm hoping it's a sought after trit post.

833
00:44:41,040 --> 00:44:41,760
Cricket is, you know, 

834
00:44:41,760 --> 00:44:45,680
the ability to work in a team, get to know
 your teammates, help them along the way.

835
00:44:46,120 --> 00:44:48,880
And I think most importantly,
 make sure you you share

836
00:44:48,880 --> 00:44:51,840
your success, also share their success.

837
00:44:52,600 --> 00:44:54,960
So when someone does really
 well, don't be afraid

838
00:44:54,960 --> 00:44:57,440
to get around them, because, you know,
 when it is your day,

839
00:44:58,120 --> 00:45:00,440
the one thing that you really want after
 you've performed really

840
00:45:00,440 --> 00:45:03,520
well is people to be around
 you and sharing that success.

841
00:45:03,520 --> 00:45:04,400
And if you're not giving that 

842
00:45:04,400 --> 00:45:07,400
to anybody else,
 how can you expect that in in return?

843
00:45:07,480 --> 00:45:10,440
So, yeah, make sure you share other
 people's success,

844
00:45:10,440 --> 00:45:13,640
share the team's success, and I'm
 sure you get the best out of your team.

845
00:45:14,480 --> 00:45:19,560
Speaking of I mean, teamwork
 and diversity, Tom Baldwin asks,

846
00:45:20,040 --> 00:45:24,720
You've played cricket at the G20 level
 across the subcontinent and the Caribbean

847
00:45:25,480 --> 00:45:29,360
teammates from all over the place,
 different nationalities and backgrounds.

848
00:45:29,360 --> 00:45:32,960
So how to build rapport
 in a diverse environment, do you think?

849
00:45:33,880 --> 00:45:36,840
Yeah, I think one of the challenging
 things we have in 20 twenty cricket

850
00:45:36,840 --> 00:45:40,160
is you have short periods of time
 that you with your team mates.

851
00:45:40,200 --> 00:45:42,120
So, you know, I'll head to the Caribbean. 

852
00:45:42,120 --> 00:45:43,920
I'm only there for five weeks. 

853
00:45:43,920 --> 00:45:47,400
You know, you have to spend and invest
 your time getting to know your team mates,

854
00:45:47,880 --> 00:45:50,440
those sort of relationships
 or any relationship.

855
00:45:50,440 --> 00:45:53,560
You know, it's really hard to fast track
 one of the things.

856
00:45:53,560 --> 00:45:57,840
Well, one of my tips to help fast tracking
 it is show yourself

857
00:45:57,840 --> 00:46:02,480
or don't be afraid to show weakness
 in front of your teammate ,

858
00:46:02,480 --> 00:46:04,880
because I've found by showing

859
00:46:04,880 --> 00:46:08,920
some of your insecurities
 actually builds trust within my teammates.

860
00:46:08,920 --> 00:46:12,840
So, for example, going into,
 you know, I'd go into a team

861
00:46:13,320 --> 00:46:17,320
and instead of although you're
 there as the overseas one of four overseas

862
00:46:17,320 --> 00:46:22,560
players and everybody is used to you
 obviously sort of preaching to the group,

863
00:46:23,120 --> 00:46:26,120
I try and show myself as a
 you know, I'm here to learn.

864
00:46:26,120 --> 00:46:28,280
You know, we've got so many great
 local players here.

865
00:46:28,280 --> 00:46:29,920
I want to learn from the local players 

866
00:46:29,920 --> 00:46:34,120
and show a couple of my insecurities
 as a player and as a person.

867
00:46:34,120 --> 00:46:36,760
And I think by by not being

868
00:46:37,240 --> 00:46:40,680
or certainly not presenting as someone
 who's perfect, people tend to trust.

869
00:46:40,680 --> 00:46:44,280
And you can build those relationships
 a lot quicker and tap into

870
00:46:44,360 --> 00:46:48,200
to some of the strengths and weaknesses of
 of some of your teammates.

871
00:46:48,920 --> 00:46:52,400
Well, everyone, I have got the unfortunate
 I feel like an umpire

872
00:46:52,400 --> 00:46:56,800
making a bad call here, but the session is
 now need to end because of time.

873
00:46:57,280 --> 00:46:58,640
So, Ben, we do appreciate it. 

874
00:46:58,640 --> 00:47:02,520
Thank you to everyone who's contributed
 in the chair to ask the questions.

875
00:47:03,040 --> 00:47:07,360
And the takeaway from the session
 that I got that I never really anticipated

876
00:47:07,400 --> 00:47:10,680
in was the need to persevere
 as much as what you say,

877
00:47:11,360 --> 00:47:15,840
when most of us never experience
 the pressure on performance that you have,

878
00:47:16,320 --> 00:47:19,960
you have pressure from day to day,
 and it can be quite brutal.

879
00:47:19,960 --> 00:47:23,000
The feedback that you get
 where the pressure that we have,

880
00:47:23,520 --> 00:47:25,600
you know, maybe each week, month, month. 

881
00:47:25,600 --> 00:47:28,960
So I think that's in my mind,
 that's what might make a great

882
00:47:29,360 --> 00:47:32,040
professional athlete, great
 cricketer is your ability to get over

883
00:47:32,040 --> 00:47:34,640
that literally hour
 by hour, instant by instant.

884
00:47:35,160 --> 00:47:36,120
So that's what I've learned. 

885
00:47:36,120 --> 00:47:39,600
And that's emotional resilience
 and perseverance in a nutshell.

886
00:47:40,240 --> 00:47:41,880
So thank you, Ben. 

887
00:47:41,880 --> 00:47:43,640
Thank you for all your amazing questions. 

888
00:47:43,640 --> 00:47:45,840
And thank you for listening to my story.

889
00:47:46,280 --> 00:47:48,360
Thanks so much, Ben, for participating.

890
00:47:48,680 --> 00:47:51,440
If you're feeling unwell
 or in need of help, reach

891
00:47:51,440 --> 00:47:55,320
out to anyone in Australia
 can get immediate mental health support

892
00:47:55,440 --> 00:48:00,920
by calling the national lifeline
 on 13, 11, 14 and beyond.

893
00:48:00,920 --> 00:48:05,200
Blue has great 24/7 support staff
 and one three hundred

894
00:48:05,560 --> 00:48:11,000
twenty two forty six thirty
 six Chaplet employees can contact H.R.

895
00:48:11,360 --> 00:48:15,240
are access free counseling
 CBIA students have access

896
00:48:15,240 --> 00:48:19,400
to free confidential campus counselors
 safety and support services.

897
00:48:19,560 --> 00:48:23,160
Such as Sonder, reach
 out to your campus student experience

898
00:48:23,160 --> 00:48:26,320
team for friendly guidance
 on accessing these services.