The Best Beast You Can Be

It was a blustery late spring day in Chelmsford in 1986 that a young South African first ruffled a few English feathers.

Allan Donald had made his Warwickshire debut at home to Glamorgan the previous week, John Hopkins his first victim, and now he played his first away game, against Essex at Chelmsford. Trailing by 85 on first innings, Warwickshire took the field needing to cause the Essex batters problems. Opening for the home side was the great Graham Gooch.

Donald bowled Gooch for 0, bowled number three Brian Hardie for one, sent number four Paul Prichard from the fray with a broken arm and ended with 6 for 74.

A.D had arrived. The rest is history, as they say.

Allan Donald became one of the undisputed all-time greats of fast bowling and Reports from Arbroath is truly privileged to have him as a guest. Joining us from his home in Paarl, A.D reflects on what - and who - made him the cricketer he was and the human being and cricket coach he is. Top of his mentors: Bob Woolmer who allied astute technical advice to urging every player, every time he went on the field, to be “the best beast you can be.”

Allan speaks passionately and honestly about the ocean of information and advice that washes around developing cricketers - and how it all needs to be evaluated and certainly not all taken.

From his early life in Bloem, to his fledging as a cricketer and bloke in Brum, Allan recalls it all with honesty, pleasure and thoroughly justified pride. The guests of Reports from Arbroath are starting to form, never mind a great bunch of people, a rather good cricket team. Alan Jones up top. A.D opening the bowling at the head of a seam-bowling uniit including Liam Norwell, Olly Hannon-Dalby and Steve Ogrizovic. Batters would need plenty of skill - and good helmets - against those guys!