Bracken pleased he's no longer 'hopeless'
In the queue to replace Glenn McGrath in Australia’s Test attack, one name seems to have been forgotten
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
In the queue to replace Glenn McGrath in Australia’s Test attack, one name seems to have been forgotten. Nathan Bracken is a much-improved bowler and as he explains in an interview with The Age, he knows he has now made the grade in limited-overs cricket.
“When you field on the boundary - especially in a day-night game - there are always blokes in the crowd who try to be funny,” Bracken says. “In previous years they've yelled that I couldn't bowl or I was hopeless. This season they've been saying I should get a haircut. On a professional level, being abused about my hair is a big step up from being branded hopeless.”
Bracken is hoping for a Test recall and says his improvement in the last few years has been an exciting journey.
“Guys like Jeff Thomson and Ian Chappell used to criticise me,” he says. “I'd tell myself it didn't matter, but in the back of my mind I'd think, ‘It’s Ian Chappell and Jeff Thomson, two all-time great players, and their opinions count’. That's why it has been great to hear them change their tune since the ICC Champions Trophy. They've said I should be considered again for Test selection.”
Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets here