Cricket: Hart to get a big send-off from Northern Districts

As one of Matthew Hart's first assignments as a professional cricketer he found himself bowling to Peter O'Toole. As contrasts go, it could not have been much greater. The ageing star of David Lean's celebrated epic Lawrence of Arabia up against New Zealand's young cricketer to Lord's.

"He was looking a bit old and tired," Hart said. Which was pretty much how he felt at the end of the last State Championship season. It's why, after 15 years of dedicated service to Northern Districts, cricket he declared his innings closed.

ND have given him a benefit, the showpiece being a Twenty20 match on Friday night at Seddon Park between a Northern Districts XI and a Players' Association XI involving most of the current New Zealand side.

But back to Lord's, the Nursery nets and O'Toole. Perhaps it was a portent that Hart, one of the least demonstrative, unfussiest of cricketers, should find himself bowling to a drama king.

Just four years later, he would be involved in one of the more dramatic off-field incidents in New Zealand cricket history.

Hart, with Dion Nash and Stephen Fleming, became the 'Paarl Three', martyred for their honesty while experienced team-mates lied about smoking marijuana on the calamitous tour of South Africa in 1994.

The sad thing about that was it should have been Hart's breakthrough tour, having previously bowled New Zealand to a famous test victory. Instead, he now concedes, the ignominy and subsequent suspension hurt him more than anyone.

He believes the seeds of his decline as an effective top-line bowler can be traced along a wisp of smoke to that night.

"Without making excuses or anything, I look back at that debacle. I got suspended and came home in bits and pieces and was out of cricket for about four or five weeks. I was then thrown into test matches, without any cricket, against the West Indies and South Africa. I went into them without any confidence and I was always a confidence bowler."

The before and after picture is quite frightening. Pre-suspension, Hart had the acceptable figures of 26 test wickets at 38.26 a piece. Not bad for a spinner learning his trade. Post-suspension he managed just three wickets at 147.66 each.

In a career that saw him picked and dropped "half a dozen" times for New Zealand, that remains the low. Perhaps reflecting the type of cricketer he is, the highs that spring most readily to mind aren't the test or ODI wickets (though the record-setting 5-22 against the West Indies in an ODI remains a highlight) but the two times ND chased down targets in excess of 400 to win matches.

"We chased 453 against Wellington in '95-96 and 403 last year against CD. That doesn't happen very often so to do it twice was pretty special."

Hart scored 87 not out in 1996 and 107 last year to play a big role in the chases.

In 1997 Hart changed. He went from a bowler who could bat a bit to a batsman who could bowl a bit. About the same time a young left-arm spinner arrived on the scene but Hart said there was more to the decision than the emergence of Daniel Vettori.

"It was more that I was struggling to achieve what I wanted with the ball. I knew in my head what I wanted to do but physically I couldn't get out there and do it and that was awfully frustrating."

If anything, Hart was as excited by Vettori as anybody else.

"You know class when you see it and the guy's all class. He is a beautiful bowler."

Which leads obviously enough to the favourites game.

Best batsman?

"Sachin Tendulkar. He was something special. I played against him in an ODI at Eden Park in about 1994 when he spanked about 80 [82] off 40-odd [49] balls. He smashed [Chris] Pringle, [Danny] Morrison and [Gavin] Larsen all over the place. I remember vividly being out there fielding thinking 'man, this is the best seat in the house, this is a genius going berserk'."

Best bowling he's faced?

"When Shane Bond came back from that series in Australia in '01 we struck him at Gisborne in a four-dayer. I was opening with Jimmy Marshall. He obviously came back on a real high and with a point to prove. He'd gone away as a replacement and came back as a star. I was at the non-striker's end and afterwards umpire Steve Dunne said it was the fastest he'd ever seen. That was quick. First ball of the match he hit Marshall on the head and he didn't even move. We survived for a while but, bloody hell, that was quick."

Hart's cricket will be restricted to memories now. When days last season felt "like going to the office for a job you didn't want to be doing", he knew it was time to quit.

He is completing a Bachelor of Management, majoring in marketing and accounting, and wants to use that. He's in a hurry too.

"I'm 33. I'm ready for a new challenge. I guess I'm 10 to 15 years behind my peers now. They've had a chance to get solid careers going so yes, in that respect, I want to get going ASAP."

He leaves domestic cricket in better shape than he found it. The Players' Association, of which he is a board member, has been instrumental in setting up a professional culture in domestic cricket.

"In the early days it was $38 a day, that was the income for a domestic cricketer. You're not getting rich on that. Now there's a genuine opportunity for young guys to make a living from cricket, as long as you can supplement it during winter."

Hart sees player development programmes as the next imperative.

"There's an absolute necessity to plan before you finish cricket. The guys who haven't done it fall into two categories. They fall into something because they're lucky, or they're the ones you hear about who are battling after their playing days are over.

"Cricket doesn't last forever but that's a bloody hard thing to tell a 21- or 22-year-old.

"When I was 21, I couldn't imagine stopping. I thought through my contacts in cricket something would fall out of the sky. But it was only a few years ago, when I had 12 months out of cricket, that I realised it was a bit harder than that."

Hart had a major health scare in 1999, undergoing surgery for blood clots in his left wrist.

"It was pretty freaky. I had a cold wrist, cold hand and numbness.

"It took three or four months of seeing different specialists to work out what it was. In the end it was a relatively simple thing - there was no pulse going into my hand."

He recovered and gave five more years' service to ND and BoP. The 33-year-old who grew up on a Te Puke kiwifruit orchard harboured hopes of a return to New Zealand colours but it never happened.

But what Hart really wants is people to come along and watch some great cricket entertainment at his favourite ground. "It's only $10 a ticket. Where else can you get to see this calibre of players for that little?"

Momentarily Hart looks uncomfortable.

"I'm no salesman," he readily concedes. Perhaps he could line O'Toole up for a part in a stage play: Death of a salesman, life of a cricketer.

* Matthew Hart Testimonial, Dec 16. Gates open at 3pm for kids to interact with Black Caps and various players. Game starts at 6pm. Tickets $10 and can be purchased from ND Cricket and Bay Cricket.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY