NAT Sariman was over the moon.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
At just 20, the talented youngster was appointed captain of Belvoir’s A-Grade side in the lead up to last season.
It’s the stuff most cricketers can only dream of.
But as the wicket-batsman revealed this week, it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want the job, he did.
But Sariman says it became clear pretty quickly that the captaincy wasn’t for him.
Not yet, anyway.
“It didn’t really work out the way I’d liked,” Sariman revealed.
“There’s always something else on your mind.
“Some aspect of the game.
“Whether you’re thinking about bowling changes, or the batting line-up, you’re always thinking about the 10 others guys in the team.
“Obviously that’s part of the job but it probably added a bit of pressure and meant last year, personally, wasn’t my best.”
But with Ryan McNeil back at the club this year, it gave Sariman the option of handing back the captaincy.
He did, and it has worked wonders.
Despite Belvoir’s struggles as team, Sariman has thrived individually this summer.
He’s spent most of the season in the competition’s top-five run scorers and is averaging a more than 50 with the bat.
Sariman, who has made 385 runs so far this Provincial season, said there was no doubt that his form had a lot to do with him relinquishing the top job.
“This year I’ve been able to switch off and just focus on my batting and wicket-keeping and the results have come,” he said.
“It’s been good to spend a bit of time in the middle.”
All Sariman is concerned about is helping the Eagles stay in the top flight of Albury-Wodonga cricket.
That starts today, when the club hopes to stun flag favourite St Patrick’s.
Despite posting an average total of just 166 on day one, the Eagles have given themselves every chance of causing an upset after they had Patties at 2-31 come stumps last Saturday.
“Those two wickets were massive,” he said.
“Especially getting Trent (Ball) out.
“If we can start off well early we might be a chance of sneaking one here.”