Can I put on a bra without ripping my clothes? Do the bras really have to be on for me to get access to the mirror? I really want to know all about these things. I would really like to be able to put on the bra.
“It felt as if it were a lifetime ago,” Michael Fyfe told a packed crowd that day in 2006.
As a player who represented Australian cricket for more than two decades and was part of the national side for more than half a century after reaching the double-hundred, Fyfe had a keen perspective on the national cricket team and its impact on Australian society.
Having played and coached at the highest level domestically for most of his career, Fyfe retired from international cricket in 2011 to focus on family and coaching. He continues to play all over the world and was recently named captain of the Melbourne Renegades, the team he helped become the first Victorian team to win an Australian International Series title.
Fyfe’s book, Ashes Rising: A Life of Cricket, published this month, looks at his career and his role as mentor to players from around the world, particularly as they prepare to become leaders of their country and become ambassadors for their game.
Over the years, Fyfe had seen the growth of cricket around the world. He was keen to share his experiences of that journey and the Australian dream with a global audience. In doing so, he has managed to weave together a story that is compelling for players who want to continue playing cricket well into their late 30s and beyond.
With the world finally seeing the sport’s potential, the book will serve as an encouragement to those contemplating the path of a career in the game and will also help provide guidance for players who wish to be involved in Cricket Australia.
“People from around the world are asking me to tell them what I was and where I came from,” says Fyfe of his book. “I love answering questions – I just want to go and explain myself.”
He said the book was influenced by the memories that were forming around the book launch that year, but that it was also informed by the times he had spent in a coaching role in Australia and overseas.
“With it, [I wanted to be] reflecting back on the times we were together and all of the people we made,” said Fyfe.
“I always hope that, when we play, we bring the best out of each other.”