Hat Trick! (37 page)

Part of Rahul’s interview with Dean Jones:

RP: Hello, Dean.

DJ: Hello, how are you?

RP: Good thanks. What was it like out there during your 210?

DJ: Well, it was pretty tough, actually. What made it so hard was the high humidity and the fact that I just couldn’t keep any fluid in.

RP: Is it true that you wanted to go off before you were out?

DJ: Oh, yes, I was pretty sick during the afternoon. I had got to about 170 and I said to AB [Allan Border] that I’d had enough. He said, ‘Righto, we’ll get a Queenslander out here. Someone tough who can stand up to it.’

RP: What happened after you were out?

DJ: I don’t remember much. I remember being put into a bath filled with iced water and ice. Do you know what? It felt lukewarm! Everything was fine until I decided to get out. My body cramped up completely. Everywhere. I just collapsed in a heap. That’s when they decided I needed a visit to the hospital.

RP: Did you get to the hospital?

DJ: Eventually. I’m told it was a pretty hairy ride. We were flying all over the place. The physio with me had to hold me down to stop me from cramping with all the shaking and swerving the ambulance was doing.

RP: What happened when you got to the hospital?

DJ: Well, I’m told that I was taken to casualty. There was a man there who was needing some attention, but when the doctors and other staff realised that a Test cricketer had just arrived, they all left him lying on his bed and raced over to me.

Part of Rahul’s interview with Ray Bright:

RP: Ray, some people say you were the hero of the last hour. What happened?

RB: No, there were plenty of heroes out there. I was actually off the field. I was very dehydrated and struggling to stay on my feet.

RP: But you came back onto the field?

RB: Yes. Allan Border, our captain, wanted me to bowl.

RP: What happened?

RB: Well, it was very tense. Lots of shouting and frustration. I managed to get a couple of wickets quickly and that sort of changed the balance of things. India were in a winning position. I think they needed 20-odd runs off the last five overs with four wickets in hand.

RP: And the last over?

RB: The last over. It probably took about 10 minutes. Greg Matthews bowled it. They needed four runs to win. We needed one wicket. Ravi Shastri was batting really well. He was facing. He blocked the first ball and then hit the next for two. He hit the third ball for a single. The scores were tied. The next ball was blocked, but the fifth ball was a wicket!

RP: What was the reaction?

RB: Well, we were jubilant. We were running around very excitedly. Some of us actually thought we’d won. And I suppose, given what the situation was half an hour before, we sort of had.

India v Australia Test Match

18–22 September 1986, Madras, India

Toss: Australia • Decision: Australia to bat • Result: Tie

Australia v New Zealand Test Match

8–12 November 1985, Brisbane, Australia

Toss: New Zealand • Decision: Australia to bat • Result: New Zealand won by an innings and 41 runs

Australia v West Indies Test Match

9–14 December 1960, Brisbane, Australia

Toss: West Indies • Decision: West Indies to bat • Result: a tie

England v Australia Test Match

11–15 July 1930, Headingley, Leeds, England

Toss: Australia • Decision: Australia to bat • Result: Match drawn