It is quite rare for people to end up doing what they envisioned for themselves. Athletes traverse their own paths to reach their ultimate destination. Not all cricketers end up with the sport as their first job. They have to wade through different jobs to finally become what they always intended to be. These odd jobs helped them sustain their lifestyle to pursue their dream.
We look at 4 cricketers who did unusual jobs before they became cricketers:
#4 Nathan Lyon
He has been one of the finest spinners ever since he made his Test debut in 2011. Australia’s search for the other Shane Warne ended with Nathan Lyon. He has joined the 400 Test wickets club. Lyon has consistently put in match-winning performances across different conditions. But not many are aware of the fact that Lyon was a groundsman before. He was the groundsman at the Adelaide Cricket Ground. Lyon had readied wickets for many international games.
#3 Sheldon Cottrell
He is as famous for his cricketing skills as his celebration. Cricketers exhibit different reactions to dismissals. But Cottrell’s celebration stands out. It is pretty unique in the cricketing landscape. He celebrates picking every wicket with a military salute. There is history associated with the celebration. It is his way of showing tribute to the Jamaica Defence Force. Cottrell took 6 months to perfect the salute.
#2 Shane Bond
He had a sensational rivalry with Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee in the 2000s. They wanted the tag of being the fastest bowler in the world. Shane Bond set the stage on fire in a tri-series in Australia. He bowled difficult lengths to the greatest of batsmen. Bond’s greatest quality was to trouble the best batsmen of the opposition. He had a fantastic 2003 World Cup picking 17 wickets. One of the finest in the game, Bond was a traffic police officer before he became a cricketer.
#1 MS Dhoni
There isn’t a celebrated career-graph as of MS Dhoni. His journey to the top is well documented. MS Dhoni missed out on being part of the U-19 World Cup team in 2000. There were other young guns who made it to the team but not Dhoni. He had to walk the tough road to success.
Dhoni eventually made his international debut in 2004. He then went on to become the most successful captain in the history of the game. Dhoni inspired millions to take up the sport. He worked as a ticket collector at Kharagpur railway station in West Bengal. Dhoni was the one who put a place like Ranchi on the world map.
