Trent Johnston in his own words

December 9th 2013 by Cricket Ireland |

On the eve of his final appearance in an Ireland shirt, Trent Johnston chatted to cricketireland.ie and talked a little bit about the past, present and future of the man who has been the heartbeat of the Irish side for a decade.

Trent Johnston is a fierce opponent, but an even fiercer teammate. You will never see a player who wants anyone he shares the dressing room with to succeed more than TJ. If you’re on his team, Trent is always behind you 100 per cent, he lets you know it and he’s always the first to congratulate one of the boys on a good performance. Being a good teammate is arguably the biggest thing Trent brings to any team he is a part of, and Ireland will miss him in the dressing room as much as they will on the pitch.

He has other ideas, however. “I suppose my never say die attitude, that would probably be my best attribute, the biggest thing I bring to a team. I never think we’re beaten until the match is done and I always bring that, every match.”

Trent has shown that attitude on many occasions during his career, not least during the recent ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier UAE 2013 when he stood up with both the bat and ball for Ireland in the latter stages.

Outside of cricket on the field, TJ’s knowledge will have been invaluable to the youngsters who have been lucky enough to play with him. “Off the field I would say the thing that I offer is experience, talking to the guys off the field - especially young guys coming into the squad - not just about cricket but also life in general.”

And it’s the off-the-field stuff that Johnston will miss the most. “I’m really going to miss the changing room,” he admits. “You can’t replace that, the dressing room before and after after the game. I’ll also miss the training in Morton Stadium which I’ve really got into in the last few years, that S&C (strength and conditioning) stuff is what has enabled me to keep going as long as I have.”

Captain past and present celebrate the win over England in 2011.

There is plenty that he is looking forward to as well, though. “I can’t wait to spend more time with my lovely wife and children, and I’m not just saying that because they’re all here in the car listening to this conversation!” he says with a chuckle. “I won’t miss the net sessions,” he adds. “They got tedious, I have to say. More time at home, that’s what I’m looking forward to most, though it will take me time to adjust and the family will have to learn to put up with me.”

With his international career over, Trent still has one thing that he would like to achieve in cricket. “I’ve still not won the Irish Senior Cup, I would love to win it. So, I don’t know how much club cricket I’m going to be able to play and I’m still figuring out the next stage in my career but if everything comes together I could be quite busy, so a lot depends on that obviously. But as I said, I would love to win the ISC so maybe I can play in that for YM this coming year.

“I will have different priorities once I’m retired, but I am looking forward to a bit of a rest and perhaps playing a game on the same team as Charlie (his son) in the near future, with Vanessa doing teas.”

TJ’s playing days will soon be finished, but his interest in Irish cricket will not by any means be over and he is very optimistic about Cricket Ireland’s future. “The boys have two World Cups coming up and the women have made it to the Twenty20 finals, so it’s all looking good for both teams.

Trent has always put his body on the line for his country.

“There are young players coming through and performing which is important. We have got to progress through that first stage in the World Twenty20 and whenever we go on television we have to take advantage of it and keep the sponsors happy. There are lots of good things happening, the trick is to just make sure we keep going.”

With cricket in Ireland growing in both recognition and numbers playing, there are plenty of ambitious young players with one eye on a spot in the men’s team in the future. Johnston has had a 10-year career playing with Ireland and his advice for those young players is straightforward. “Work hard,” he says. “The harder you work the more you get out of it, it’s that simple. I didn’t work hard enough when I was younger and I missed out on opportunities then. So when I got the chance with Ireland a bit later on I took it and worked hard, and I’ve kept working hard since that first match in an Ireland shirt.”

If he was starting out now as an ambitious youngster, TJ knows what he would focus on. “There is a great opportunity for young spin bowlers. Pace is looking good at a level below right now with a number of young quicks coming through and Max (Sorensen) is only 27, but I really think there’s a gap for a spin bowler.

“If I was a player on any of the junior representative teams anywhere from 15-19 right now, I’d be licking my lips. Someone like John Anderson should be focusing on his leg-spin bowling in my opinion. His batting is going well but if the team is at full strength there is no place for him right now, but improve his bowling by 20 to 30 percent and he is still young enough to go to a few World Cups.”

The opening bowler has been busy planning his future in the recent past but he is still determined to win his last game for Ireland. “I am looking forward to the Inter-Continental Cup final. It’s something I grew up playing back in Australia and I always look forward to bowling with the red ball. You have fewer balls to bowl again because you bowl less wides. It’s also nice to bowl longer spells, you can get into a rhythm. But you can also sit and put your feet up for a day-and-a-half and watch the boys bat.

“To win again would be great. We would then hold all three trophies which has long been a target of ours and something we have never achieved - what a way to finish.” What a way indeed.

Can Trent Johnston end his career with one more piece of silverware?