How your cheering made Polly feel

A golden era in South African sport ended a few weeks ago with the retirement of Shaun Pollock from international cricket.

For the past 12 years, the red-headed Dolphins all-rounder has been one of the few constants in the national team and his absence will surely be felt in the future.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Cape Times, Pollock reflects on his career, why he was always a bit of perfectionist, the future of cricket and what it feels like not to have to worry about his next match.

How's it feeling to be retired?

It feels like the end of the season, where you have a few months off with nothing much to do. But I think once the guys start playing and I'm watching from a distance, I'll start to appreciate it more. But I have a peace about my decision and I had a wonderful send-off. It couldn't have been better.

You don't come across as the most emotional bloke, and South Africans in general might get besides themselves when we win the World Cup. But your send-off was extraordinary.

I was blown away by it. You'd think a few people might come and say cheers, but the scale of it was amazing. It was a sad time for me because I was stopping playing, and it did feel as if the crowd was carrying me. Everytime I picked up the ball to throw it in from the boundary, they were cheering. It was almost surreal in many ways. I was really grateful for that, and I'd like to thank people for that.

What are you going to do with yourself? You have a BCom and a family. There's a real life waiting for you.

"I've got the Indian Premier League in April, and I'll probably do a month or two of county cricket and a few other things in England that are still unconfirmed. I'll keep myself busy for eight or nine months, and give a lot of thought to what I want to do. I want to be passionate about what I want to do. I don't want to do it just for the sake of doing it. A lot of people have contacted me about business interests. But I really want to suss things out and see where I want to go. I want to get involved and sink both feet into it. That's why it's wise to have a good think about things.

I'm sure you haven't had a chance to reflect properly on 12 years of international cricket, never mind all the other cricket you've played. Is there a part of you that is maybe even a little afraid that the game will no longer be such a massive part of your life?

Not afraid. I'm definitely going to miss the actual playing and the adrenaline rush. By nature I'm a very competitive person. So I'm going to need something to sink my energy into. Maybe golf. But it's been a really good tenure and it has taken years of devotion. It is sad to let it go and I will miss it. But I'm looking forward to seeing life from a different perspective. You can become a bit single-minded in your outlook.

Have you tried to calculate how many balls you bowled?

We tried to work out how many Comrades I would have run by adding up run-ups. And we got as far as ... well, it was a lot!

Is there a particular memory from the "Polly Parade" that sticks out for you?

Each ground was special. Eskom took a lot of abuse - a lot of banners went up about Eskom and power and Polly and that sort of thing. I read most of the banners, and I'll never forget the standing ovations. But I remember feeling very calm, which surprised me. I was just concerned about not getting a blob. The only time it really hit me emotionally was in Durban, just before I bowled my last delivery. I suddenly realised that I had spent so much time at Kingsmead, and it was over - I wasn't going to bowl there again. For the next game at the Wanderers I was almost prepared for it, so it wasn't too bad. I was definitely emotionally drained at the end of it. I have never felt like that before. I hadn't done a lot physically, but emotionally I was really tired.

You don't train for that as a cricketer, do you?

You don't, and in normal situations you have a rest. But every time I went down to the boundary, people were interacting with me, and there was a continual thought process going on. I kept reading everything and mulling over everything.

Who was the batsman you least liked bowling to?

There's no one answer to that. In cricket it's all about form. When I first played against Matthew Hayden in 1997, it wasn't difficult to get him out. It's a different kettle of fish now. Sachin Tendulkar can be hell of a difficult on his day, and on other days he's very scratchy. Players like them, and people like Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting, were all difficult to bowl to for different reasons. But I always felt that guys who took the attack to you were the ones who you felt under pressure against. Sure, you felt as if you could get them out. But you also felt that they might dominate you, and you don't want to be dominated.

When did you make up your mind to retire?

I made up my mind before the start of the season. There were so many things that influenced it - you've got to think about how your body is feeling, your family life, where the team is going, your passion for the game. I prayed a lot about it, and it felt right.

What's the one thing you'll miss about Test cricket?

Definitely the playing, the actual batting and bowling. The competition, putting your skills to the test, the successes the failures, it's all part of it.

Do you have a favourite shot?

I've always enjoyed a big booming cover drive. It's always a pretty shot, and I suppose I was a pretty sort of batsman in a way.

Did you ever reach a stage where you would rather not mention your surname to people, considering who had gone before you?

There have always been more pros than cons attached to that. Growing up, people took notice of me and how my performances went. Sure, there a bit of pressure to emulate them (father Peter and uncle Graeme) and to live up to the name. But after you have played a couple of series and got past certain records, people tend to forget about that and you start to write your own legacy.

Is Twenty20 cricket going to rule the future?

It is going to dominate. It's the fresh game and spectators love it. But I do think you need a longer form of the game to allow you to get back into it if you have a poor start. Twenty20 is a bit like a sprint - if you get it wrong at the start, you're gone. But it does have the potential to really take over because of the vibe and the way the spectators enjoy it. So it does need to be managed carefully.

Are you worried about the future of Test cricket?

I think there will always be Test cricket, I don't think it's ever going to go away. I just hope that the quality is maintained. It has a history and heritage and that needs to be protected.

Who's the funniest cricketer you've played with or against?

Definitely Hersch (Herschelle Gibbs). He would be the character of all characters. He has an amazing ability to make you laugh, and to always see the lighter side of life. Every once in a while he won't be trying to make you laugh, but he'll do something stupid that will make everybody laugh anyway. He brought me many moments of laughter and happiness.

What would you want to change about cricket?

The quality of any form of the game needs to be maintained, and to do that you need the best players playing all the time. I think the schedules need to be looked at seriously. They need to make sure adjustments are made to ensure that people aren't burnt out.

You've been criticised for lacking pace later in your career. Do you think you might have remained a first-choice player in the Test team if you bowled at higher speeds?

I don't think I've been bowling fast for the last eight or nine years. But I did my job, and there are different ways to skin a cat. My average and my strike rate looked after themselves. You need a balanced attack. You need people with pace and people with control, and I've got no regrets.

Who is the greater player: Muttiah Muralitharan or Shane Warne?

I'd have to go with Shane. He changed the face of spin bowling, he took it to a different level. Murali is a fantastic performer, but he's taken most of his wickets on the sub-continent where the wickets are conducive to spin bowling. Wherever Shane has gone around the world, he has made an impact.

What do you make of Graeme Smith as a captain?

He's a pretty experienced captain now. As a young man, it's always difficult to take over a side, but he's come into his own and he's got a great feel for what's required. We don't always get every decision right, but he's made the right decision most of the time.

Is the family already sick of having you around more than they are used to?

Not yet. My children are growing up quickly. They need dad's influence, and I look forward to playing my part. The hardest thing for me is going to be trying to get rid of that drive inside. I was always a bit of a perfectionist with regards to my performance. If I took 5/30, I would go into the changeroom thinking that if I didn't give those two fours away it would have been 5/22. You need that as a professional sportsman. That gets you going for your run, it gets you back in the nets. The end of that will probably be the hardest part of retiring for me. But I'm also looking forward to going on holiday and not thinking about whether I'm going to be fit for the next game.