Dean Jones, the former Australia batsman, speaking on the Lessons Learnt with the Greats podcast, explained how running between the wickets has improved considerably in the modern game, owing to the likes of David Warner who give tremendous importance to fitness.
Jones, who is credited with revolutionising Australian one-day batting through the Eighties and early Nineties, explained how he found it difficult to press hard for runs in the latter half of a one-day innings, when his batting partners weren’t as eager to cross ends.
“I hated Boony…David Boon and Mark Taylor for example,” Jones said, “where they batted deep, and I ran their twos and they didn’t run mine. You need to be fit in this level. It’s not hard to get off your backside, stop having the cokes, stop having a couple of beers, to get yourself fit to win a World Cup. So, they got the batting skills and all that, but it really upset me in my time, because I am trying to go hard, hard, hard now I’m in the power [mode] last ten overs, I’m buzz, buzz, buzz…”
“You know what? I hate mediocrity. That’s not mediocrity what he’s doing. And it’s just great to watch and if he has to embarrass a few, well, so be it. Because that’s the level we expect as fans to watch, to take the skills to another level.”
