Interview with Adam Hollioake

We recently asked for questions to submit to Adam Hollioake, former England captain. (https://www.606v2.com/t27747-q-a-session-with-former-england-captain-adam-hollioake)

since the original request, Adam has been in the news due to a family theft of his brothers cricketing memoribilia. I took the opportunity to ask Adam about the case, as well as asking him a few more questions about his forray into mixed martial arts which starts this weekend.

I would personally like to thank Adam for taking the time to answer our questions ahead of his big debut and for doing them so promptly too. From all at v2, we wish you all the best and we hope you "kick his head off" as planned!

Anyway, without further ado, here are Adams answers:

Who was the best player you played with?
Saqlain Mushtaq and Waqar Younis I would say….

Who were your favourite opposition player and county?
Iain Sutcliffe he is my best mate and Durham…cos we always used to beat them…

Who is the best cricketer you've seen and played against?
Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne and Muttiah Murilitharan

Who did you hate playing against, both player and county?
Nasser Hussain and Dominic Cork their heads just annoyed me! Yorkshire..cos I couldn't get runs at Headingly

Other than the Oval, what was your favourite county ground and why?
Lords…cos I always scored runs there…and they had the best food in the business…and it was just down the road from my house..

What was the best ground you've ever played at and why?
No place like home…The Oval, just because its the best! Outside of The Oval…I would say the SCG…great atmosphere for a ground that only held 50,000… I mean MCG we played in front of 90,000 but 50,000 at SCG was more intimate…

What was your proudest moment in cricket?
Beating Australia 3-0 and getting man of the series in 1997 was my individual proudest moment….Or captaining England to the Champions Trophy beating India, Pakistan, West Indies..Or maybe Wisden Cricketer of the year in 2003…or maybe winning 3 championships with Surrey over 4 years

What went through your mind walking back after leaving that straight one from Warne at the Oval?
That was too close to leave…ha ha…

Would you liked to have established yourself as more of an all-rounder in International Cricket?
Of course I would have…but I also understand I am fortunate to have played International cricket at all…There are better players than me who never got a game at all….

What is your best cricketing memory of Ben?
Hard to look past the mischief we got into growing up as kids…But from a cricket perspective there are probably 3 that stand out…His debut against Australia in 97' when he put it to Warney and McGrath…Then his 2 B&H Final Man of the Match performances…

What is the latest development with the recent thefts?
We have recovered about 50% of Bens stuff…the culprits have been caught and are facing court…Would still appreciate if people could keep their eye open for anything that appears for sale in the public domain


Which county player does he think we should look out for this season?
Mark Ramprakash…Rory Hamilton Brown, Chris Jordan and Jade Dernbach

Did your England career end too early in your opinion?
No…I was cooked man…Mentally I had finished with cricket…I play hard and my brothers passing took that edge away from me…I was hard work to be around and wouldn't have added to the England set up!

Which form of the game was the most challenging/toughest to captain? Talk us through the different challenges facing the captain in each format…
20/20 was the toughest…1 decision can be the difference between winning and losing..1 over too many from a spinner and that could go for 20 and cost you the game…The longer the form of the game the more the side with the most talent will likely come out on top in my opinion. It seems strange that 20/20 would be toughest as when we 1st started playing it we thought it was just a slog….4 day and Test Match cricket have their own pressures but you have time to make your decisions if you let the game drift for a few overs its lost in the scheme of the 4/5 days

As captain, were there players in the dressing room who just didn't get on with each other (not asking you to name names of course)? If so how did you handle it? More generally, how did you cope with handling all the different personalities of the dressing room?
Of course there are players who don't get on with each other…I don't get on with everyone in life…why would being in a team make it any different? Its important to remember you don't have to get along…but you have to respect one another..When someone was arguing I always liked honesty…. Like "look you don't like each other I don't care…but you will respect each other" You have to accept people don't all get along and put things in place to allow the team to function despite this…Interestingly I spent a lot of time in the great Peter Loader's company (picking his brains about the great Surrey team of the 1950s) he told me their Surrey side really didn't get along…but they still won 7 championship trophies in a row!!!

Having been a former county cricket captain yourself, what are your thoughts on the current county system, the amount of games played and the way they are scheduled across all three formats and the talent pool that is available to the England set-up from it? Having seen The Morgan Report, what would you change?

Hard for me to say really I think there are people far more qualified than me to give their opinion own this topic…I have 3 young children and have no time to watch TV…I can't afford Sky/Fox TV so the only thing I see are scorecards on the internet I am aware of scores and who is scoring runs etc etc…but can't see the affect the system is having on the players

In the later end of your career you became known as a T20 expert, so what are your views on the IPL? Would you have played in it, and risked harming your Test prospects or would you waited till the twilight of your career before switching to it?

I love the IPL and 20/20…but I also love Test Cricket…I just don't have time to watch Test Cricket…Its too long and with 3 kids its just not an option for me…Yes I personally prefer 20/20 but that’s because my game suited the shorter format and I struggled to concentrate over 4/5 days…I would get distracted and start looking at chicks in the crowd or counting planes that were flying over…

What effects do you think T20 has had on cricket world-wide?
I think it has had a positive effect on the cricket overall…I think it has taken away something from the rest of the formats…but I hope they all survive..at the end of the day though I don't care or worry about it, the fans will decide what they want to watch and that will decide what survives etc etc

You were one of the leading T20 death bowlers in your day, when the form of the game was first introduced. What was your thinking process when bowling at the end of an innings? How much has T20 changed since then?

The best thing I had going for me was my mind…I wasn't fazed…I knew I would lose games for my team, but worked out early that I couldn't dwell on these and needed to just get on with it….Michael Jordan once said "I've never missed a shot that I didn't take" brilliant stuff!!!…20/20 has improved a lot since I played as have all the forms of the game…as have all sports…it will continue to improve as well….

What do you think of the IPL?
Should the ECCB and the County’s be more willing to accommodate players wishing to go? Tough one…I reckon IPL and ICC should get together and create a timeslot that doesn't clash with the IPL so all cricketers have got the opportunity to play…

Do you wish T20 had been around for your whole career?
Yes…but it wasn't…

Do you think England players should play more for their County’s?
Depends on the players…I think fast bowlers need rest…batsmen need to play as much as possible in my opinion

What do you think went wrong with England's winter and what would you have changed if you were still a part of the team?
Dunno didn't see one ball…I would just be regurgitating what I read in the media…I am my own man…don't repeat other peoples opinion

What is your take on the switch-hit utilised so effectively by Kevin Pietersen that has continued to cause a stir?
Brilliant stuff super talent to be able to do it…As an all rounder I am not biased..Its great entertainment we are in the entertainment game…can they be serious trying to make rules to make it harder…they should embrace that Poopie…c'mon move with the times…

Which of the current crop of young Surrey players do you rate most highly?
Rory Hamilton Brown, Chris Jordan and Jade Dernbach…haven't really seen the others

You left Surrey and very largely retired from the game in your early thirties. Ben's tragic death clearly determined the causes you devoted much of your time to in the immediately following years. However, were you already considering a career away from cricket? If so, were Surrey at fault in any way?
Surrey are my family…even if they had ever done anything wrong by me (which they haven't) I would never air it publicly….I left cricket to be with my family and support them after my brothers death…

Do you think Ali Brown should have received wider credit for his batting?
If so, do you believe he might have made it at Test level? He did receive a lot of credit didn't he? As far as I am aware he was feared by all and valued by our side beyond measure…I don't know how he would have gone at Test Cricket…but that doesn't mean he wasn't one of the best batsmen I ever played with or against..destructive match winning player best sums him up

Alex Tudor appeared to have everything to be a constantly successful fast bowler apart from self-belief. Do you agree?
Again he was a successful bowler and a great kid to boot!! He had the self belief, he just got unlucky physically…he was like 7ft tall…something had to give…he was one of my favourite players…loved watching him in full flight…spectacular athlete!

What do you think of the current young Surrey crop coming through like Rory Hamilton-Brown, Jason Roy and Jade Dernbach?
I don't know Jason Roy never seen him play (I have heard good things though) The other 2 are excellent players and if they work hard and stay fit can bring Surrey back to our best

Do you think Surrey are starting to win some respect back under Chris Adams tutorship and with these talented young players coming through?
Yes..it sounds like it (again haven't seen it with my own eyes)…They are definitely going in the right direction…They have a long way to go…but I know Grizz and Rory and they won't allow them to rest on their laurels…

What made you get into mixed martial arts?
I love fighting simple as that…always have…Im good at it…I struggled for 17 years in a profession that I had limited ability in…lets see how I go in a sport that I actually suit…..

With your first mma fight coming up, what are your expectations for your match, and moving forward your mma career as a whole?
My expectations are Im gonna break this dude in half!!! I can't see it going down any other way…I try to imagine losing sometimes…but I just can't visualise it…I don't know if I will fight again…I have a lot going on in my life and I go with the flow and allow myself to move in any direction… Fighting is the most honest conversation 2 men can have…

What response did you get from your family when you told them of your plans to begin an mma career?
They didn't like it…but I have a good strong family and they understand its something I want to do… My wife has been a massive support to me

What do you predict for your first fight - how are you going to win it?
Im going to kick his head….off!!!

What discipline do you feel is your forte and which has been the hardest to train in?
My strongest disciplines are my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, my Wrestling and my boxing…..hardest to train in has just been putting it all together…..


If you want to watch Adams debut in MMA:

MAY 5, 2012 / GOLD COAST CONVENTION AND EXHIBITION CENTRE, GOLD COAST, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA

Thanks again Adam

Nice one.

Interesting to read his views on T20 being arguably the toughest format of the game, I was ridiculed by at least a couple of people on here for suggesting the same (and plenty of fans still think T20 is just hit and giggle); Adam's views on the subject are coherent with Shane Warne's and many current players and coaches, the intensity and margins in T20 are far greater/smaller.

A very refreshing interview, very honest. Interesting comments on dealing with personalities in the changing room also.

Very thorough and interesting article.

Fascinating to hear of Adam Hollioake's conversations with Peter Loader and his (Loader's) view that ''their Surrey side really didn't get along''. Strong contrast with the common perception of all jolly fellows together.

http://v2journal.com/interview-with-adam-hollioake.html

An interesting read.

I get the impression that Adam is still rather disillusioned with cricket - he constantly stresses that he no longer watches the game, and doesn't want to comment too much on contemporary issues.

This comment, talking about T20 interested me particularly,

I think it has had a positive effect on the cricket overall…I think it has taken away something from the rest of the formats…but I hope they all survive..at the end of the day though I don't care or worry about it, the fans will decide what they want to watch and that will decide what survives etc etc

Few ex-cricketers are so seemingly unworried about the future of Test cricket. This is a very open interview - more open than many would give - so I wonder if this is just him or reflects a wider feeling amongst cricketers.

Good interview - got a real sense of Adam's own opinions and not just repeating conventional wisdom. Much less steeped in cricket and its traditions than many other players I would imagine.

Interesting that he doesn't mention Meaker - but I guess life has moved on quite a bit.

Adam Hollioake drew his first cage fighting match/bout. He's reported as saying:

After walking back into the shared dressing room, where a couple of the night's headline fighters nodded their respect, he bluntly dissects his new and old careers. "I had more adrenaline out there in one night than I did in 17 years of cricket," he says. "I don't know why I played; cricket was such a boring game."

A bit belated but great interview! Really like the honest answers, this is worth at least a hundred Collingwood-style "taking the positives" interviews.

Guy seems like he has a chip on his shoulder.....I know they are only written words, but he didn't come across as a very nice bloke....

Douglas, if you haven't already check out the ones with Rikki Clarke and Paul Nixon. The one with Nixon is a cracking read.

https://www.606v2.com/f80-606v2-honours-board