Worth The Wait - Darren Lehmann

Methuen Publishing Ltd RRP £18.99 ISBN: 0413774953

The latest book to fall on my desk is Darren Lehmann's autobiography “Worth the Wait”, published by Methuen. I can honestly say that it has been the easiest read I have had this year, written in an uncomplicated form, free flowing throughout with unpretentious ease.

Lehmann has played 27 Test matches and 117 One Day Internationals that include winning the 1999 and 2003 World Cups. He has scored five Test centuries including his highest score of 177 against Bangladesh in 2003, the second of back to back hundreds against the Tigers.

Covering a range of topics such as his early career, playing for South Australia and Victoria, fighting his way into the Australian team and possibly one of his biggest regrets and mistakes in cricket; Sri Lanka Gate. Together with an insiders view into life of the inner sanctum that is Team Australia, Worth the Wait is full of interesting anecdotes and information surrounding one of today's leading cricketers.

The book includes two forewords, not something you see very often, one by the current Australian captain Ricky Ponting and the other from team mate Adam Gilchrist. Both players speak volumes of “Boof” or “Shrek”, Ponting summing him up when he says “Put a beer or smoke in his hand and he is a happy man. Mention the Adelaide Crows and he is even happier. Beer, cigarettes and footy ... he is without doubt a throwback to yesterday's cricketer”.

The early part of the book deals with his youth and his early career, playing cricket at school, working his way through the club side and eventually winning his state cap for South Australia at seventeen. Darren recalls telling his mum that he had been chosen in the state side and she said in response “Oh that's good love, what's that, the under 19s?”!! Upon learning it was the State side to play with David Hookes the pair jumped around the kitchen like “two kids on Christmas day”.

One of the most poignant moments in the book is the chapter dedicated to David Hookes, his close friend and team mate who died in Melbourne in January 2004. Lehmann had penned a good deal of the book by this time and earlier references found in the book were written when David was still alive. The chapter deals with Darren's feelings about his mate, how he felt with life after the tragedy and his thoughts on playing cricket in the immediate aftermath. Everything is here including a fitting tribute written for the Sunday Mail in Adelaide expect for the events that led to Hookes' passing. Due to legal actions Lehmann was unable to comment but maybe that was a good thing, so much has already been written in the media.

How many cricket fans would love to know what it's like to be part of not only an international cricket team but the world beating Australian team? Most of us would I am sure and in the book, Darren dedicates a chapter to what he calls the inner sanctum, giving us a rare peak inside the closed ranks of cricket Australia during match days. Lehmann goes through the team, one by one, educating us to each player's preparation before batting, how the bowlers create so much noise, how the brothers Waugh were so different in their preparation and how Justin Langer is like a jack in the box playing music as loud as he can get away with! It really is a great insight into how it feels to be part of a current international team.

Cricket like many other sports suffers its fair share of folklores, one such example being the 1999 World Cup semi-final between Australia and South Africa. It has been widely reported, exaggerated now it seems, that when Gibbs failed to hang on to a simple catch from the then Australian captain Steve Waugh, Waugh uttered those immortal words “How does it feel to drop the World Cup?”. However Lehmann sets the record straight in the book, what he actually said was “That's what I mean about pressure, we can take it and you can't - you've just cost your team the match”. We also know that Steve went on to score a match winning 120 not out off 110 balls. As it happens Lehmann scored the winning runs in the 1999 final, the first Australian to do so with a boundary. The 2003 World Cup was also retained by Australia, Lehmann taking the winning catch.

One issue Lehmann is most associated with, albeit for the wrong reasons is his racial abuse following a run out against Sri Lanka in 2003. There's no need for me to repeat what he said on his return to the change-rooms, it has been widely reported. He deals with the issue well, full of remorse, guiding the reader through the process from the seconds before the run out to the baptism of his children on the afternoon of his ICC hearing and receipt of a five match ban. Despite immediately apologising both verbally and in writing to the Sri Lankan team and management and Clive Lloyd (match referee) accepting that the issue was closed, the matter was leaked to the press and all hell broke loose.

Worth the Wait is a very interesting autobiography delving into the personal and cricketing life of a successful international cricketer and former captain of Yorkshire CCC. he deals with the major issues well and is more than comfortable admitting when he was wrong and accepting praise when it was justified. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Very easy to read, it's a fast paced book and great to gain an insight into one of South Australia's favourite sons.

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