After an appalling run of injuries which prompted Australian fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile to start considering packing up his dreams of first-class cricket and focussing instead on becoming a Twenty20 gun-for-hire, he is overjoyed to make a welcome return to fitness, finally. The 29-year cricket player has now got his eye on a Test berth!
An Encouraging Return to the Field
The Western Australian player made a heartening return to the Australians’ series-opening ODI defeat by the Indians, in Chennai, slashing through the host team’s tough top order and going on to capture 3 – 44, much to the delight of punters making use of cricket betting sites in order to wager on the outcome of the game.
Coulter-Nile’s First Taste of International Cricket in a While
This was Coulter-Nile’s first taste of the action of international cricket since he played the Tri-Series final in the Caribbean back in June. His whole home summer season was written off after he underwent a bone stress injury to his lower back, and unlike simply dealing with a bad day on the pitch or a bad workout, it was a much larger hurdle he had to face. Coulter-Nile’s got cut from the list of national contracts as a result, and started really considering the fact that his career as a player for Australia may well have come to an end.
Rethinking His Cricketing Career
In an interview with the Cricket Australia website, Coulter-Nile’s stated that there were certainly periods where he wondered whether or not he would ever be able to play for his country again. He added that he never lost confidence that he would still be able to play for Western Australia, however, and was sure that he would be able to get through a domestic season.
He said that domestic seasons were a lot easier on the athletes, since they did not have to contend with the rigours of the travelling required when playing for the Australian team. He said that it remains to be seen whether or not he will be able to get through an Australian tour, and that he had very seriously considered quitting.
The Heinous Injuries Suffered by Coulter-Nile’s
Coulter-Nile’s said that after such a long time out of the game, getting back into his groove was a challenge. He spoke of the previous year being one of the most difficult of his life to date, but he is going to make it all worthwhile with his future actions on the field.
With injuries including a torn left hamstring which required surgery, which he then went on to re-injure, a problem with this right hamstring, damage to his left shoulder, the dislocation of his right shoulder, and a bone stress fracture, one understands what a tough time the player must have undergone.
You Don’t Give Up Your Dreams at 29-Years Old!
Coulter-Nile’s went on to say that although he had had a good, long think about giving up first-class cricket, he ultimately decided to take another crack at it. He mentioned that he had discussed the issues with Justin Langer, coach for the Western Australian team, and a few other people, and realised he would be totally insane to give up on a life-long dream at the young age of 29-years.