Sachin Tendulkar vs Shane Warne contest was great to watch first hand: Adam Dale

On YouTube, type Adam Dale, the first video on the list is of him taking an absolute blinder.

Adam Dale was a right-arm pacer who represented Australia in two Tests and 30 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) from 1997 to 2000. Dale was also a part of the World Cup winning side in 1999. Today, he works in the manufacturing sector in Melbourne, but has maintained some connection with the game. In a chat with Nishad Pai Vaidya, Dale spoke about his career, making his Test debut, the 1999 World Cup and watching Shane Warne bowl to Sachin Tendulkar.

When you log into YouTube and type Adam Dale, the first video on the list is of him taking an absolute blinder at long-on in a domestic one-day game. “I was at long on. Scott Prestwidge was bowling to Phil Emery. The ball was hit towards long-on. I was within range and ran as hard as I could and dived — luckily, I was in good position to catch. It is one of the nice memories. Unfortunately, I hurt my shoulder, but I had held the catch,” Dale says. This was back in 1997, when Dale was only a few One-Day Internationals (ODIs) old and was looking to make it into the Test side. The wait wasn’t very long.

Dale was included in the Test side for the tour to India in 1998 and made his debut at Bangalore. India wasn’t the easiest place to tour and Dale was away from his family at a time when his wife was giving birth to their second daughter. “It (the India tour) was a wonderful experience and I enjoyed it. It was difficult on one level as my wife was having our second child. Having to deal with that was difficult. From cricketing point of view and it terms of the culture, it was wonderful,” says Dale, looking back at that sojourn.

Dale made his Test debut in the third Test at Bangalore, by which time Australia had lost the series. His debut was one to remember as Australia overcame Sachin Tendulkar and went on to record a consolation win. Dale recalls, “I remember (Michael) Kasprowicz bowling well. Sachin (Tendulkar) made 177 in first innings. Luckily, in the second innings we bowled them out. It was a great win but we had unfortunately lost the series. Watching Sachin Tendulkar bat was a treat and watching Warne bowl to him was wonderful to see first hand.”

Dale only played one more Test, but was a part of the one-day setup until early 2000. In 1999, he was a part of Steve Waugh’s World Cup winning side. It was a tournament that tested Australia’s character and resilience as they came from behind to win the trophy. “In that tournament, we were favourites or one of the favourites to win. We unfortunately did not have a great start (having lost to Pakistan and New Zealand). Full credit to the team and Steve Waugh’s leadership, due to which we turned it around and won the rest of the games. It was a great team effort for a group under pressure,” Dale says.

But the two games that symbolised the Australian fight were against South Africa. In the Super Six game at Headlingly, Australia needed a win and then who can forget the dramatic tie in the semi-final. Dale did not play those games, but was a part of the dressing room, taking a pulse of the situation. Dale says, “I surely wanted to play but unfortunately wasn’t picked. The one at Headingley was one we needed to play well and ultimately win. Steve Waugh’s innings was outstanding and he made a hundred. In the semi-final, we were under pressure early. Shane Warne put a mark on the innings early after we hadn’t put a lot of runs. (Lance) Klusener played beautifully, but things fell in place for us.”

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After the World Cup, Dale played only four One-Day Internationals (ODIs). By the early 2000s, he had retired owing to shoulder problems. It all goes back to the catch in 1997, during which he hurt his shoulder. “It (the catch) was the beginning of my shoulder injury and problems. I attempted to manage it (the injury) for two or three years, but it got to a point where I had to have a surgery,” says Dale, who last played competitive cricket in 2003.

About 12 years down the line, Dale is in the corporate world and works in the manufacturing sector. He does however, maintain a connection with the game as he is involved with the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC). Also, he coaches his daughter’s cricket team, the Research Eltham Collegians under-12. Interestingly, this team is an all girls unit competing in an all-boys tournament. It is certainly a matter of great pride for Dale as he coaches this unique team.

Back in his day, Dale took to fast bowling. But, in today’s world, who’d want to bowl with the batsmen at you all the time. “Batsmen were very attacking when I played. In India it could be difficult to bowl as (Sourav) Ganguly and Tendulkar would attack from first over. The game has evolved and moved forward with development of T20. The batsmen have the attacking shots early, bats are bigger, wickets are flatter and the administrators like to see big runs.”

Looking back at his career, he picks the winning moments and travel as the biggest highlights. Dale says, “Playing in winning teams are highlights — whether it is at Test, First-class or even club level. It was great experiencing different countries and cultures. I was lucky to go to places like India. Also playing with my heroes was a big thing. Steve Waugh had made his debut when I was very young. Then there was Ian Healy.”

Commenting on the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2015, Dale agrees to suggestions that the hosts Australia have a good chance. “I agree. They got a very good chance. It is a shame that the weather in Brisbane will hamper their game against Bangladesh. New Zealand played well today didn’t they, South Africa worked hard at all World Cups, but did not manage it.”

This writer broached the topic of South Africa’s current squad and Dale suggested that they have some good players in their side. One can draw an analogy from his comment about the 1999 World Cup squad, “When we won it in 1999, you had (Shane) Warne, a good fast bowling unit — we had Glenn McGrath leading our attack. We had a wonderful batting line-up with Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist, and Ricky Ponting.”

(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_45)

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