Steven Finn on his Ashes Christmas tears and redemption in Durban
My best Christmas on tour was in South Africa in 2015. The Boxing Day Test is the series opener and the competition is fierce. South Africa is still full of bombshells and we just won the Ashes last summer.
I was out for a few months with a stress fracture in the ball of my foot and it felt like a Christmas present when I proved fit enough to join the team in Durban.
Compared to the Australian tour five years ago, I know if I’m fit enough to compete. That’s what I love about Trevor Bayliss’ experience coaching England. I felt like he really believed in me and what I could become as a bowler. Even though I had an idea I would be playing, I still felt lovely when the captain gave the nod, like Alastair Cook did on Christmas Day.
No tears in the toilets, just a peaceful, happy Christmas on the Durban waterfront. It doesn’t feel like Christmas because it’s hot and I’m thinking about bowling to Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and others the next day. Even though I did get the chance to face Dale Steyn in the unenviable role of Night Watchman, I was content that it would ruin anyone’s peaceful Christmas.
I had no family traveling with me and I enjoyed a Christmas lunch with others on my boat before slipping into my room to relax and then watching hopefully as we won the toss and bowling on a spicy looking pitch The victory of the game. Now, here’s the real Christmas gift.
We actually lost the toss but won the Test by 241 runs. I got one of my favorite wickets of my career, tipping the hat to Faf Du Plessis on the fourth night when he was providing vital backing. It felt like some sort of redemption from the disappointment of my previous Christmases.
Christmas on tour does become like another testing week. I will always sympathize with anyone who has family that must navigate this time of year. It must be difficult to balance being a father, husband, international cricketer and Santa Claus.
Being with family does provide a level of balance and can be a great escape when you’re on a long trip. But explaining to a four-year-old why it’s not snowing and how Santa knows you won’t be home is something I always leave to people with kids.
As I settle down this festive season, ready to eat my weight in whatever comes in front of me, I think of all the cricketers preparing to play the next day.
Nervousness, excitement and disappointment are all part of being an athlete. It just so happens that today is also Christmas.
