Richardson warms to Darwin return after lonely winter

There was a certain symbolism in Darwin becoming the embarkation point for Kane Richardson's cautious trek back to competitive cricket following the longest lay-off of his 15-year senior career.

It was, after all, during his formative years spent in Australia's northern-most capital city that the sport-obsessed adolescent was introduced to international cricket thereby charting his life's direction.

And having successfully lived the dream awakened by Australia's all-conquering men's Test team in Darwin two decades ago, Richardson now finds himself in the unlikely (and mildly unnerving) position of effectively starting out all over again.

For the first time since departing Northern Territory and debuting for South Australia as a 17-year-old in 2009, Richardson's 'off-season' has not been spent as part of a high-performance program nor involved a structured training regime.

Instead, his first adult winter without competitive cricket or injury rehabilitation commitments has featured little more rigorous activity than bowling on hard wickets into an empty net under the bemused gaze of his four-year-old son, Jules.

It was therefore with understandable apprehension the 33-year-old quick eased himself back into competition last week with a solitary outing that yielded four overs (2-25) for Melbourne Renegades against Pakistan A as part of this month's Top End T20 Series.

"I would say even when I've had injury layoffs, I've never had six months where I've not played a competitive game so I have to admit to being a bit unsure heading to the Top End," Richardson told cricket.com.au this week as he eyes his 14th BBL season.

"I've been basically at home on the Gold Coast since last February so the Darwin series was a great way to get back amongst professional cricketers, get back into the game and start thinking about cricket again.

"There was some nerves and apprehension and you ask yourself 'have I still got it?', especially as you're getting older those questions tend to pop into your head a little bit more.

"I was definitely blowing after bowling a couple of overs, and I was bloody cooked by the end of the innings.

"Plus I was horrendous the day after the game, basically limping around the team's hotel and lying to everyone I saw by telling them I'd pulled up okay.

"But two days on I was much better and ready to go again, so now it's just a matter of slowly building back up to be cherry ripe for the Renegades' first BBL game (on 16 December)."

The next step in that preparatory plan the Renegades' all-time leading wicket-taker (98 from 73 matches) has now formulated in conjunction with the clubs' coaching and fitness staff is a stint in Queensland's KFC T20 Max competition that started this week.

It's a decidedly low-key foundation for a bowler who, less than three years ago, was part of Australia's triumphant T20 World Cup squad and whose most recent international outing came in November last year.

But having relocated from SA to Queensland in 2022 and being culled from the Bulls contract list the following year as he prioritised franchise cricket opportunities around the globe, Richardson has found himself something of a lone entity this winter.

That is largely due to his decision to forego white-ball commitments in the UK to remain at home where his wife, Nicole, gave birth to the couple's second son (Reggie) less than two months ago.

Rather than trying to squeeze in a brief T10 appearance in one of the myriad competitions now flooding the global calendar (such as the current competition in the Cayman Islands), he opted for family over financial opportunity.

Richardson also concedes his fitness had suffered by the end of last summer's BBL|13 compounded by his subsequent stint with Dubai Capitals in the UAE's International League T20, which lent a cricket-free winter even greater appeal.

"I thought if I could use it to just as a bit of a reset, get some motivation back as well as be at home then it would be a good thing," he said.

"But it's been a bit of uncharted territory because I've usually been playing cricket or I've been at the SACA in Adelaide doing a pre-season under coaches and strength and conditioning staff, so it was definitely a different experience.

"The curator at my Gold Coast Premier Cricket club got a turf pitch up in July, which was nice, but most of the time I've been in sandshoes on the hard wicket with nobody in the other end of the net.

"There was a few young club cricketers around but I didn't really want to bowl on Astro-Turf to 14-year-olds, I thought that might have ended in a bit of trouble with the extra bounce."

The fact he felt a frisson of excitement amid the apprehension of his return to competitive cricket in Darwin last week convinced Richardson he still holds a hunger to play at the top level.

However, without a state contract and with his international days behind him after more than 50 Australia appearances across both white-ball formats, he believes atypical winters like the one just passed might become more rule than exception.

"I'm not one who'll be getting on that treadmill of non-stop franchise cricket around the world because it's more about trying to get the balance right between family life and playing," he said.

"It's just being realistic about what opportunities lie ahead.

"Some guys can continue doing it as they enter the latter stages of their careers, and I respect the hell out of those people.

"But for me – especially since having children – I've been conscious of giving as much to people at home as to the people at cricket.

"So I think it was the right time to finish playing State cricket, with Queensland obviously going in a different direction and now under a new coach (former South Africa and South Australia captain Johan Botha).

"I'll definitely miss it, domestic cricket is great and I'm still interested in it.

"But it's the right time to stop driving backwards and forwards to Brisbane for training sessions and games, and just focus on what I need to do with the rest of my time."

One of those focuses will be completion of the post-graduate degree in high-performance sports leadership he's been undertaking in recent years, with a view to the likely job opportunities to flow from Brisbane hosting the 2032 Olympic Games.

The environmentally aware fast bowler is also mulling a 'tree change', which might involve shifting with the family closer to his close mate and fellow vegan Adam Zampa in the northern beaches region of New South Wales.

Long-time teammates for Australia, SA and East Torrens in Adelaide's Premier Cricket competition, Richardson and Zampa share more than a passion for their chosen sport.

"We're probably looking to move from the Gold Coast at some point, just out in the country to get a bit more space and down to that region where Zamps lives (Byron Bay Shire)," Richardson said.

"So it might be a chance in the future to link up with him, he's got a few business ideas at the forefront of his mind when he eventually finishes playing but there there's nothing immediately imminent."

And while the prospect of being involved in high-performance administration for a sport other than cricket holds appeal for the third-highest wicket-taker in BBL history (with 135, behind only Sean Abbott's 165 and Andrew Tye's 156), he's an advocate for the game's growth in his former home town.

The recent stint in the Top End T20 Series was Richardson's first visit to Darwin since he was part of an Australia men's team training camp prior to their 2017 Test tour to Bangladesh.

He was impressed by the upgrade of facilities (including drop-in pitches) at TIO Stadium at Marrara, the suburb adjacent to Richardson's former family home at Moil and the venue where he first encountered international cricket as a schoolboy in 2003 and 2004.

And he echoes current Northern Territory Cricket Chief Executive Officer Gavin Dovey's view that international cricket should return to the Top End, perhaps as soon as Australia's men's white-ball campaign against South Africa scheduled for next year.

Richardson was struck by the enthusiasm among students and their parents when players involved in the Top End Series visited a Darwin school this month, and it reminded him of the impact Test cricket had when it came to the city 20 years ago.

"I was a young kid for those Australia Tests against Bangladesh (2003) and Sri Lanka (2004) and I can remember going to them, and how amazing it was to be up close and watching those players in the nets," he said.

"Guys like (Steve) Waugh, Ponting, McGrath, Warne and I remember (Lasith) Malinga made his Test debut for Sri Lanka.

"I'd always loved cricket, but when you see it in the flesh and up close, then go back to your backyard next day and you've got those heroes to try and emulate, it's totally different to watching it on TV.

"To go to a Test match five days straight with your family and watch high-level cricket, and see all these people you only otherwise get to see on a screen and get their autographs, like any kid in any sport that's where the dreams are born.

"Having games like the Top End T20 Series certainly helps, but it's a different level if you've got Pat Cummins and Steve Smith up there.

"That would do great things for cricket and Darwin."