His fans may be giving him a hard time for neglecting his blog recently, but to his credit Mathew Sinclair is a very busy man. As if being a husband, a father of two and an athlete weren’t enough, Mathew has now decided to add writing to his curriculum.
‘This book is a cricket story, about the game and what goes on around it,’ he says.
‘I talk about what goes on in my head in my daily life as well as when I face the ball. I want the reader to feel like they’re in my shoes.’
Still holder of a world record, Mathew has 17 years of cricket stories to tell and a valuable insight into the game.
How about the present Black Caps performance, for example?
‘Cricket is 95% mental,’ answers Mathew, ‘and it’s a very individual game. The Black Caps are on a losing streak, which eats at the players’ confidence. Someone needs to step up and break the pattern, restore self-belief within the team.’As for his own team, the CD Stags, Mathew comments that the competition was very close this year, especially with so many players coming from abroad. The 20/20 game was affected by the absence of the Black Caps players for most of the competition Once again, the CD Stags went all the way to the final, in a repeat of last year’s game against Auckland. Unfortunately, there will be no trip to South Africa or India to play the IPL this year.
‘It’s a tough season,’says Mathew. ‘A few made it difficult for the teams. It’s good to have people like Colin (one of Focus Health Directors and the Stags’ physiotherapist). His job is to make sure
that all the guys are playing at 100% of their fitness. He makes sure that the rehab is happening as it should, and in sync with our fitness coordinator. He’s also a good friend to talk to.’ Mathew, admittedly, is quite a lucky man, having never missed a game through injury. Maybe not so lucky as wise: in addition to his training as an athlete, he goes swimming on a regular basis.
“Cricket is an anaerobic sport and I’m on my feet all the time. Swimming gives me a mental a physical break from the sport: its low- impact/high- speed and weightlessness gets me back in
balance.’
We look forward to seeing Mathew again under a Black Cap and, in the meantime, will continue to enjoy his talented game with the Stags.
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