Mark Nicholas: Boon brings own brand of discipline and doggedness (22 May 1997)

Thursday 22 May 1997

Boon brings own brand of discipline and doggedness

By Mark Nicholas

DAVID BOON is the bloke who is supposed to have drunk fiftysomething beers on the flight home from England after the 1989 Ashes tour. True or false?

"False. A Merv Hughes myth. He might have nailed a few but I can`t put many away myself," says the captain of Durham with a twinkle in those big rolling eyes.

Boon is the bloke who is supposed to have been lured out of retirement by his old mucker Geoff `Swampy` Marsh, Australia`s coach, to fill his own boots in the problem No 3 spot in the Australian order. True or false?

"False. When I retired I told Trevor Hohns, the convenor of selectors, that I`d always be available to help Australian cricket. I wanted to kill off any suggestion of bitterness at not being chosen for the one-day side.

"I think the media took this, and my friendship with Geoff, as an offer to play again. It`s not what I meant. Anyway, it`s hardly a problem position. Australia have the most versatile batting in world cricket, with such depth that any one of four guys could bat there. Stuart Law is not even picked - can you believe that?" says the captain of Tasmania, reflecting the sparkle of the diamond stud in his left ear.

Diamonds? On Boon of the baggy green cap? The quintessential gum-chewing Australian dressed in jewellery?

"Lost a bet with Justin Langer in Pakistan. He said us old `uns wouldn`t be seen dead in the sort of stuff Warney wears. I was 20 not out overnight and said if I got a hundred I`d get it done. I did and it`s been there since."

"Typical Boon," remarks Langer. "Says he`ll do something and does it. A very disciplined man, which reflects in his cricket. Never gets bored at the crease, sticks to his game plan and makes bowlers bowl at his strengths by leaving the ball so well. Phenomenal concentration and commitment to the cause. He`s been a hero to us all, you know, the epitome of an Australian cricketer. Boon, Border, Steve Waugh - if you were a kid they`d be the three you`d most admire. He doesn`t say much: wise men don`t speak many words, but when he does it`s worth listening. Durham are lucky to have him."

Indeed they are. From Boon of 107 Tests - Boon of the punched straight drive, the unfussy square cut and the second most runs, after Allan Border, of all Australians; Boon of Boot Hill, the fearless short-leg who eyeballed his opponent from an inch away - comes Boon of the North-East, saviour-in- service of the Durham dream.

The dream, driven by chairman Don Robson and supported by the loyalism that has characterised the boom in Newcastle football and rugby, turned nightmare last summer. As the memory faded of the comparative glory days when Botham, Jones and friends rode roughshod over the insecurity of a new team, Durham became the whipping boys they had feared they would be at the outset.

"I see similarities with the situation in Tasmania eight or nine years ago," says Boon. "We`d been four and a half seasons without a win in the Shield - 42 games! - and were picking up fringe players from other states and not always picking wisely. What`s more, we were playing negatively and therefore unattractively, just to avoid defeat."

The dream, though, had another side to it, the side that Boon believes has held the club together. The development of a stunning new ground at the Riverside in Chester-le- Street; millions raised and spent: Test cricket the target.

"The foresight and guts the club have had in keeping going with this stadium is amazing. I couldn`t speak highly enough of the determination to make good, of the backing of sponsors and supporters. It`s bloody tremendous. I came here not thinking the worst, but wondering. What I have found is the most professional sporting organisation that I`ve ever dealt with."

Winners off the field, then. The problem for Boon is finding winners on the field, uncovering self-belief in the minds of habitual losers and discovering the elusive smell of success.

"Actually, I`m positive about that, too. Five weeks is no time, of course, but in these five weeks I`m surprised to have reached the pleased/frustrated stage of captaincy. I expected to tread water as we all found our feet. But we`ve been through most of the emotions already and, frankly, could, perhaps should, have won all but one of the games we`ve played.

"I`m told there`s a new attitude in the team. I couldn`t say because I didn`t know the old one. But I`m impressed with the work rate, feel we`ve developed a positive approach which should hasten improvement, and am delighted to see how much they hate losing. It must be rubbing off - we picked up 400 new members last week alone."

How long, then, till trophy time?

"We`ve set ourselves a target but you`re not to know that. Three years, I`d say, to compete for a trophy. Less, perhaps, if we get over the hurdle of understanding how to win. It takes time to bring kids out of the villages and get them competing with the best in the land."

Boon enjoys English cricket, though not the rain, and has always thought the standard was fine. It amused him how us Poms took the rubbishing by Australians so seriously. "It`s just our way. Remember, I played in the mid-Eighties when you made fools of us. The wheel keeps turning round."

Boon is big on the work ethic and targets consistency of performance, desire and mental strength when the odds are against you as essential ingredients for success. He says Test cricket is about stopping the opposition from performing to the best of their ability and about realising, then grasping, attacking opportunities. Through such proven excellence in these skills, he expects Australia to win the Ashes 3-0 in "closer games than some are suggesting". He reckons the one-day series is 50-50, suspecting that Australia are playing down their concern about lack of preparation.

He is sure that England`s younger selectors will help the communication and trust between the team and the hierarchy, thinks that they have made a smart move appointing Mike Atherton for the whole summer, and believes that identifying and sticking with a collection of 15 or 16 players would bring much-needed stability to the England set-up.

Which steers us to Mark Taylor and the contradiction of principles that have allowed him to be here. Australia, previously dedicated to the selection of the best XI and from them choosing the captain, softening in support of an outstanding leader.

"Difficult one. The country has a lot of respect for him, knowing that inside he must`ve been chewin` up. He`ll stand to be counted, he`s as honest as they come. If he says he`s going to give himself six weeks to get in nick otherwise Steve Waugh will take over, he means it.

"Remember, they are a strong and happy unit, feeding off each other`s triumphs and comfortable in each other`s company. The best captains bring the best from their players and Australia is successful and well-represented by this team."

Which is the final thing Boon cites as the key to success - enjoyment and appreciation of the game. "Once it`s a chore, it`s not worth doing. When it`s a worry, you`ll never play your best," he says in his deep, convincing yet still-gentle voice. It is a voice Durham are listening to.

Respect is the word bouncing around the Riverside. "We needed a presence," says coach Norman Gifford, "and we`ve got one. His level-headed approach has calmed everyone down and his selfbelief is transmitting itself to players and public alike."

Best to leave the last word to Marsh. "Boon is the ultimate team cricketer, the one you turn to in a crisis because you know he`ll do it. He`s unshakeable and because of it you feel secure having him on your side. To us, he`s a legend, simple as that. None of us could speak highly enough of him." Nor, right now, could Durham.

Source :: The Electronic Telegraph (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/)