Bucking the Trend

Most Australian Test players do things a certain way. Get into the Australian cricket pathway early. Go to the Academy. Win favour with senior players. Think about a cricket career from a young age. Think first of attack, and leave defence as a last resort. Treat the Baggy Green with reverence. Do things the Australian way, never mind the Poms. Keep the game as simple as possible. Avoid tinkering too much with technique.

Chris ‘Buck’ Rogers did none of these things. Instead, he forged a cricket life in his own distinctive style, learning from mistakes and imparting that wisdom to others. In many ways he is a player out of time, harking back to the days when cricketers spent as much time with their clubs, states or counties as they did with the national side. *Bucking the Trend* is the story of a journeyman cricketer who, after one Test at the age of 30, took another five years to regain a spot in the Australian side. What followed was a rollercoaster ride, taking in emotional centuries in three Ashes series and skirting disaster with a series of blows to the head when they were feared more than ever. Rogers’ road to the top was far from straightforward; there is rare richness in his cricketing tale.

About the author: Chris Rogers retired from the Australian cricket team at the age of 37, at the top of his game – it’s generally not how it happens. A left-handed opening batsman, he was first selected for the Australian Under 19 team in 1996. He represented Western Australia for 10 years and later Victoria. In 2007, with an average of 70.70, he was named State Player of the Year. During the mid-2000s he also established himself in English county cricket and over the years played for five first-class counties, most recently as skipper of Somerset. In 2008 Rogers made his Australian Test debut replacing the injured Matthew Hayden in a Test against India. But it was not until 2013, after consistent runmaking, that he was named in the national squad again following the retirement of Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey. Over his 25-match Test career Rogers’ average was 42.87 with a highest score of 173.