Exclusive Interview: "I got back on the track and faced my demons head on", says Ryan Campbell

After retiring from domestic and international cricket in 2006, Ryan Campbell, the ex Aussie wicket keeper batsman will now represent Hong Kong cricket team at the ICC World T20 2016 in India. Deep Mehta spoke to him just before the World Cup about his life, cricketing journey, development of cricket in Hong Kong and his coaching experience. Here are the excerpts from the interview.

Many people have been talking about your inclusion in the World T20 squad. After coaching Hong Kong, you will now be representing them as a player. Did this come as a surprise to you or was it a management decision?

I think it was a management decision. In the last 3-4 months they were starting to think about whether they needed an experienced player in the side or not. Obviously, Honk Kong has done so well in the last 4-5 years to reach where they have reached at the moment. But I guess we do like a bit of experience in the batting line up, especially in the top order. Because as you know, it is a very young batting line up if we consider the top 6-7 batsmen. So Simon Cook and Charlie Burke started to talk about it, obviously I needed a fair bit of persuasion. Honk Kong cricket is my first priority and I didn’t want by them playing an old bloke like me and people talking about it as it being the same old thing- bringing old guys in and that sort of stuff but I really believe that I can help the team. I am still going as the batting coach so I was going to join them anyway. I am really looking forward to it.

How are the preparations going on in the Hong Kong camp for the World T20?

Yes, the preparations are really good. We hosted Scotland recently. It has been the wettest January in the history of Honk Kong so that has kind of interrupted our practice sessions but we managed to get through one one day game. We won the first T20 match but unfortunately lost in the second one. So look, the preparations are good, we will head to the Asia cup first which would be a good warm up and then finally to India to kick start the campaign. We are ready to go. When people talk cricket, Honk Kong isn’t a household name but we are an upcoming cricketing nation and we love the game here and we have got some really talented boys here. They have learnt their cricket here and they have played well.

So, who are the players to watch out for in the World T20 from the Hong Kong team?

The whole top order is very exciting. James Atkinson, the ex captain at the top, Babar Hayat, Nizakhat Khan, Mark Chapman. Chapman just played very well for Auckland in New Zealand domestic cricket. Anshuman Rath is again very talented too. So there’s plenty of batting. It is all about how we adapt to Indian conditions.

So let us go back to your playing days. After your last domestic season in Australia, you moved on to cricket commentary and you became a presenter. So when did you think of moving back here to Hong Kong and what provoked that move?

I actually loved the media. I also worked in Perth Radio where I was working on Breakfast Radio and I had a very busy life. I was still involved in cricket and I loved cricket. I had my coaching certificates and all of that but I was doing so many different things in Perth and I was 40 years of age and single. Then, the job offer came from Kowloon Cricket Club. Charlie Burke, the director of cricket here, he suggested me to the Kowloon Cricket Club and asked me would I consider it. And I decided I am 40, have lived in Perth all my life, why not get on and see where I end up. I was lucky enough to get the job. To get it, it was fantastic. I have been here ever since and I love it.

Campbell retired from domestic cricket back in the year 2006. He moved to Hong Kong later and now coaches their national cricket team.

Image: Getty Images

In the 1996 season, Apart from keeping wickets, you regularly opened the batting with Michael Hussey in the Sheffield Shield for Western Australia. So how was the experience there, batting with a player like him?

It was absolutely fantastic. We were great friends all along, in our cricketing journey. In the end I batted with him for 5 years together. We were the perfect combination. I was always the dasher and the one who took the risk, bit of loose cannon, on the other end he was the calm one. We just gelled so well in a partnership. At that time when we looked at the scoreboard and we had Langer, Simon Katich, Tom Moody, Adam Gilchrist all these great names below us so we walked in with a huge smile on our face as we know we had plenty of assistance down the order.

     Campbell was the original inventor of the now popular 'Dilscoop'.
Image Source: Getty Images

In 2001, you continued playing despite health and other issues instead of retiring. What was the cause of your depression?

Yeah, well you know like many young men I had lots of issues going on in my personal life. It was falling apart. I was injured. As a sportsman if you cannot do something you like, I think it starts to frustrate you. The constant pressure of being an elite sportsman, and pretty much all caught up with me at the same time. And Australian men particularly, our attitude about depression is not to tell anyone about it. We just keep it to ourselves. Unfortunately, after a while it just get the better of you and basically I really imploded, walked away from everything I loved. I didn't want to play the game, the thought of playing cricket drove me insane. But thankfully, through the love of my family and friends and some good people I got back on the track and faced my demons head on. If anyone wants to speak to me about depression, I will be ready to help. First thing, just speak about it to someone - get it off the chest. Especially sportsmen, we have a fantastic life, we go around the world but there are many things that you understand only when you are in that situation. The constant media scrutiny, the fear of failure when you aren't able to perform to your best and it hit me hard but fortunately I got to the other side.

Ryan Campbell in action for Australia. He represented Australia in two one day internationals.
Image : smh.com,au

In both of your ODI appearances for Australia you always replaced Adam Gilchrist. Do you feel unlucky to have played in that era? Do you feel that your career was overshadowed due to Gilchrist?

To be honest, Adam Gilchrist is the greatest wicket keeper batsman the game has ever seen and I was lucky enough to force myself into the WA team as a specialist batsman when he played so I could say that it was bad luck but as I always say- I was lucky enough to play for Australia and WA. What about the bloke behind me who didn’t get a chance? A number of good keepers in WA never got a look in because of me. The advent of T20, the money and Big Bash, IPL happened. I would have loved to be around in my prime, yes of course, but there’s nothing I can do about it. I got a chance to play with him He is one of my best friends and very dear to me.

Tim Cutler, CEO of Hong Kong cricket, mentioned that even full member nations of the ICC have no equal sharing of the revenue. In the process, he questioned the growth of the sport when there is such disparity in the resources. What do you think about it?

Cricket is a global game. I think it is the second most participated sport behind football. I really believe that for us to keep going, we really need to push the boundaries so to speak, and for that you need money. The affiliates need money. I personally think that it is stupid that the number of teams in the 50 over World Cup has been reduced. I think some of the greatest games in past editions have come from affiliates playing. If you keep pushing it and make it an Olympic sport, suddenly China, America, Russia and all those countries will get involved. It is not a game just to be kept to ourselves. It needs to spread throughout the world and I think being in Hong Kong and having observed how the affiliates go about their work, it is really exciting. The money needs to be spread out. Again, we all know that India is a fantastic place and they produce so much money from cricket with Australia and England. Of course they deserve the huge share but I think we also must look at how we will spread the game globally.

The sport is developing in USA, PNG, and China gradually. How would you rate Hong Kong here? And also are enough measures being taken to develop the sport?

We are doing all we can. Space obviously in Hong Kong is very tough ting to get hold of. My club, has the most expensive land in Hong Kong that costs about 1.3 billion USD. So, to keep it as a sporting ground, it is hard. Now that we are an ODI nation, and we are getting more funds from the ICC, we are spending the money to get more kids into the game in schools. We are trying to spread the word. We had a tournament recently where we brought Japan and all of those countries into Hong Kong. So we see ourselves as one of the major Asian countries. We want the all playing – Indonesia, Malaysia. We will do whatever it takes to make it happen.

You have been a part of both- a full member team in Australia and an associate nation like Hong Kong. Can you guide us through what challenges players in associate nations face compared to full member nation players?

It simply comes down to facilities. Hong Kong cricket team does not actually have a home base. We try and get the turfs of Kowloon Cricket Club, as my club allows them to. Until we give central contracts, it is very hard to get guys to play the game when they have to go to work and earn a living. On the other hand all other players in countries like Australia are on contracts so they can spend 24 hours a day playing the game. They more professional we get, the more money we get access to. We can get new turf wickets, gym programs and all that for our players that never happened before. It is very tough, but it is getting better all the time.

How disappointing it is for a person like you who is involved in the associate nations to see no results of the hard work put in and the lack of recognition? 

Like for instance- Mark Chapman scored 124 off 116 balls against UAE which is a good team in the ICC World Cricket League. He became only the tenth player to score a ton on international debut.

It is obviously frustrating and disappointing to see that happen. But, again the ICC needs to go out and take bigger ownership of that sort of stuff. We are ranked 11th in the T20 cricket. We need to be shown tings. We should be getting the recognition. If you are not going to recognize it when two ODI countries meet, what’s the point of them having the ODI status? I was disappointed when Hong Kong played England and it was not an official ODI match because England wanted it to be a practice game. You cannot pick and choose like that. We have earned our ODI status. It should be used every time we go on the field to battle.

Players like Li Kai Ming have been given rookie contracts in the BBL. People today prefer the T20 format due to its fast paced nature. Do you think introducing T20 leagues like IPL, BBL in Hong Kong will help in promoting the game?

Yes, absolutely. You know the administrators in Hong Kong here are think on those lines. It is exciting. The hardest thing for us here, to get Chinese to play, the feeling is that cricket goes too long and they don’t like to spend the whole day. The T20 format, it is quick and has been a revolution for world cricket. We just saw the Big Bash where a game was played in front of 85,000 people which is amazing. The kids at Kowloon, they all want to play T20. But we do need attention to the proper form of the game as well so you can use your T20 as a weapon to get the kids in but then we still go to stay with the normal formats.

In the ODI for Australia at Perth, Brett Lee was steaming in and you did some good glove work (with some catches). What kind of experience is it to keep to a bowler like Lee on a track like Perth?

It is exciting. In that match at Perth, he bowled the fastest ever ball recorded in Australia. So, I actually have the ball from the match and he signed it for me. Being at the WACA, the beauty of it is that you are a long way back. The bounce is true and the experience is exciting. I loved keeping to fast bowlers at the WACA. I think there is no greater sight than a fast bowler coming in and you see the batsmen jumping around.

Are you rapid fire round, Ryan?

Let's go.

1. Describe yourself in one word.

Grumpy.

2. What is your idea of a perfect holiday?

The beach

3. What is the most important lesson that life taught you?

Bounce back!

4. Favourite song?

Tough one. Not sure. I will come back to that.

5. All time favorite cricketer?

Viv Richards.

6. Best cricketing moment on field?

Winning Sheffield Shield for Western Australia.

7. What is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?

The birth of my son.

8. If you had an option to edit your past, what would you like to change?

My age.

9. One characteristic that sets you apart from others?

I always find the good quality in someone.

10. If you could choose one superpower, what would it be and why?

The power to read a woman’s mind. So that I know what my partner is thinking all the time.

11. What is your all time favorite movie?

Any given Sunday

12. One goal you wanted to achieve in your career?

Play a Test match.

13. What has been your biggest disappointment?

Probably not reaching my full potential as a player.

14. Most embarrassing moment in your life?

Don’t know really. I will come back to that one.

15. What was the hardest thing for you to give up on?

When I had to go on a diet and I had to give up beer.

16. Your nickname?

They call me Cambo.

17. Best mate in the dressing room?

I have had a plenty. But I will choose Rob Baker.

18. Funniest moment on or off the field?

I have to think about it and get back.

19. Tests, ODIs or T20s?

Test Cricket

20. Most important thing for you in life?

To be a good example to my son.

Finally what would be your message to youngsters and upcoming cricketers?

Follow your dreams and work harder than anyone else because if you are not working hard, someone else is.