Boof reflects on Hookesy

[Donny]

Lehmann's agony

By Malcolm Conn - Fox


DARREN LEHMANN returns to Test cricket on Monday at Galle still haunted by the senseless death of his friend and mentor David Hookes.

In his darkest moments after that January tragedy, it is a match that Lehmann did not want to play as he considered quitting international cricket. Instead, it will now be part of the healing process.

"I've overcome all that turmoil, so to speak, and I'm trying to get through each day but it never goes away and it's something I think about every day and probably will for the rest of my life, there's no doubt about that," Lehmann said before training yesterday.

"Things are picking up and the thing that's been good for me is to get back into cricket, playing day-in day-out and just enjoying the game again. And I probably enjoy it more now than I have in the past.

"The stress isn't there at all. I'm not so worried about success or failure. You just play the game and enjoy it.

"Life's just too precious. We worry too much, and I think the young kids today worry too much about the pressures of playing well, the media pressure, the social pressure, the pressure of being a professional sportsman."

Lehmann was with Hookes on the night he was assaulted outside a St Kilda hotel and later died in hospital. It was a time without perspective.

"Once the funeral was over that woke me up a bit – there was some closure in it and I thought 'let's get moving and get on with life and cricket'.

"It wasn't the end of it but gave me focus on cricket again.

"There was easily a time when I could have not bothered playing international cricket again, where I could have just played state cricket and enjoyed my couple of years until cricket ends.

"But you certainly wake up quickly from that and realise you're going to miss playing for Australia if given the opportunity, so that went out pretty quickly.

"I know that if I'm enjoying cricket then life's fun."

At 34, this was a realisation Lehmann had already broached after he was recalled late in his career to replace Mark Waugh and finally grabbed the opportunity with both hands, scoring three centuries in his last nine Test innings.

"As you reach 30, you change your perspective on cricket and I'd done that already but that (Hookes' death) just re-emphasised it.

"The last 12 months, I've really enjoyed my cricket which is probably why I've played so well."

Hookes's death has altered his approach to life.

"I liked to go out a lot but my perspective's certainly changed on that. I don't feel comfortable going out after a certain time.

"I'm normally a pretty good sleeper but I don't sleep so well any more.

"At the same time, your family and loved ones become so much more important and so do team-mates and young cricketers. I find that a real different focus for me now than in the past.

"I find it really important to help young cricketers. I used to help them in the past but it's more so now post Hooksey's death than before."