"The Spirit"

A review of Dion Nash's cricketing career, 1992-2002

By Kit Morrell
From The Dion Nash Site, May 2002

www.angelfire.com/sports/nash

Dion Nash announced his retirement from all cricket on 2 May 2002, ending a ten-year career with the New Zealand Cricket Team. In those years, the fiery all-rounder suffered far more than his fair share of major injuries. More than once, he found himself at the crossroads, having to ask himself whether he had the will-power needed to come back from the serious back injuries which might easily have ended his career. It is a tribute to Nash’s trademark ‘attitude’ that — time and again — he was able to make major comebacks few would have thought possible. Nonetheless, Nash lost half his career to injury and it is, in turn, a reflection of his all-round cricketing talent that he was able to achieve as much as he did in the games he was able to play.

At times during his career, Nash reached the very top echelons of New Zealand cricket, in terms of the cricket he played, the respect he commanded, and the games he helped his team to win. Above all, however, Dion Nash should be remembered for his relentless fighting spirit he displayed in every facet of his cricket, from his battles to overcome injuries, to the match-winning performances he was able to produce. That fire could not burn forever, but it was, in a way, a victory for Nash that his career came to an end not — as one might have expected — because he had finally suffered an injury from which he could not recover, but because he no longer possessed the motivation needed to do so. Nash had not let endless comebacks take control of his life; he chose when to give up the fight.

Statistics cannot tell the full story of a cricketing career which was severely inhibited by injury, yet sometimes nothing short of brilliant. This is an attempt to tell that story and an attempt, where possible, to let Dion Nash ‘speak for himself’ through the interviews he has given over the years. I am indebted, in this endeavour, to countless articles, match reports and other media which cannot be named here. I am also indebted to Dion Nash for the pleasure of watching his fascinating, inspirational career to which I cannot hope to do justice.

Dion Joseph Nash was born on 20 November 1971 to parents Paul and Joan. He grew up in Dargaville, a regional service centre north of Auckland which today calls itself "Gateway to the Kauri Coast" but is better known for its kumara production and, historically, the gum-digging industry that once thrived in the tall Kauri forests of the surrounding region. In defence of his home town, Nash once pointed out that Dargaville also boasts some good surfing beaches, just out of town on the wild West Coast. Indeed, growing up in Dargaville seems to have instilled in Nash a lifelong love of the outdoors, sea, and sport. Today, Nash has chosen to live surrounded by ocean on Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf, and while his preferred leisure-time activities have changed over the years — surfing, snowboarding, mountain climbing — all share a common central element of challenge and adventure in the great outdoors.

Organised sport, meanwhile, has been the formative force for much of Nash’s life. He recalls his years in Dargaville largely in terms of the sport he played. Not just cricket: Nash was involved in other sports, including basketball and rugby, and was a handy fullback. Looking back on his time at Dargaville High School, Nash labelled himself as a "sport-head" — which meant he was in for a surprise when Nash arrived at the much more academically-demanding Auckland Grammar for his final year of high school. He commenced his year at Auckland Grammar without any prior notion of a two-hour study session, yet he managed to cultivate study habits swiftly enough to achieve a B-Bursary. John Graham, then headmaster at Auckland Grammar and, later, manager of the New Zealand Cricket Team, remarked that Dion was "immaculately behaved and above-average academically". It seems, then, that "sports head" was not a fair description of Dion Nash and he chose to further his studies alongside his mates at Otago University.

Nash enjoyed many different sports, but it became clear during his school years that cricket was his forté. His talent was obvious. Nash bowled fast and was equally interested in batting; he quipped once that his initial motivation to bowl well was "to get the bat back". Nash also showed natural leadership ability from a young age and captained the Dargaville High School First XI. Meanwhile, Nash was increasingly involved in representative age-group cricket, and here his commitment to the game was evidenced as well, sometimes travelling hours for training and matches. Nash’s competitive attitude was apparent perhaps from an even earlier age; almost from the day his brother gave him his first cricket set. Although sometimes criticised, Nash’s attitude was later to be much-vaunted as the ‘X-factor’ in his game. This stemmed partly from "a competitive family", says Nash, but admits that it sometimes made him a bad sport as a child: there was more than one occasion, he says, when he tucked his bat under his arm and walked sulkily home from "backyard Tests".

Nash’s cricket earned him a sports scholarship to the prestigious Auckland Grammar School, where he went as a boarder for one year in 1989 and played cricket for the First XI. His first national age-group selection came shortly afterwards, aged 18. Nash’s cricketing career advanced at a moderate pace in the years following his matriculation from High School. He made his First-Class debut for Northern Districts against Auckland at the tail-end of the 1990-91 season. Nash was selected again the following summer when Northern Districts recalled him for two Shell Trophy matches and one round of the Shell Cup. Nash failed to impress, however, and his First Class career suffered a further set-back when he suffered an intercostal muscle tear which sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Once introduced into the New Zealand Cricket Academy / Development Squad / Under-20’s environment, however, Nash began to distinguish himself and, once his muscle tear healed, he was an obvious selection for the New Zealand Youth tour of India in February-March 1992. That tour proved to be a significant launching-pad for Nash’s aspirations to the national side, an opportunity Nash obviously recognised at the time and exploited to the full, despite the hot, dry conditions and sub-standard facilities on tour. Nash recalls the fierce determination of the New Zealand squad members just to be named for the major games, exhibited during the warm-up match through feats of energetic fielding. Fortunately for Nash, he earned his selection, and there was more to come. He scored two laudable centuries in the following matches and bowled impressively, taking two five-wicket bags. And — as was to be the case so often during his international career — Nash seemed to play best when the team was struggling.

Nash’s outstanding all-round form in India attracted the attention of the national selectors and Nash was thereafter ‘fast-tracked’ into the international arena. In September 1992, he represented New Zealand in a six-a-side tournament in Hong Kong. He was a surprise selection for New Zealand’s tour of Zimbabwe in late 1992 and his international debut came on October 31, in the first one-day international at Bulawayo. New Zealand won by 22 runs, but Nash’s role in that game was severely limited: he scored three with the bat and bowled just one over. His introduction to Test cricket was not far off, however, and Nash debuted in the Second Test of the same tour at Harare, just two weeks short of his twenty-first birthday. Nash’s Test debut, too, was fairly quiet, but he did pick up two wickets in the match which New Zealand won by 177 runs. Nash had made his Test debut with only three First Class matches and a successful Youth tour to his name, just one First Class match more than Daniel Vettori, who became New Zealand’s youngest-ever Test cricketer in 1997 aged 18 years and 10 days.

Nash played another three matches for New Zealand in November and December of 1992 when the team toured Sri Lanka. Nash scored 40 not out in the second ODI which stood as his highest score in Limited Overs Internationals until 2001, but his performances on tour were otherwise unremarkable. Nash did gain experience of another kind during that tour, however, when a bomb exploded near the team’s Colombo hotel and the team was divided when some senior players went home early. Nash was one of the players who stayed on, and the tour of Sri Lanka seems to have been a team-building experience for Nash and other young players, including a 21-year-old Adam Parore. Parore’s tour diary fondly recalls tour events such as the "beach Olympics" won by Dion "Dasher" Nash and the birthday party where Nash delivered a well-received initiation speech on "the migrationary habits of Mexican walking fishes".

The "Champion of the Future"

Nash played his domestic cricket for Otago during the 1992-1993 and 1993-1994 seasons while he was living in Dunedin and at the University of Otago. Nash did not play for New Zealand during 1993, which gave him time to complete the requirements for his Bachelor of Arts, with which he graduated in absentia in June 1994. When the academic year ended, however, cricket took over. Nash rekindled the New Zealand selectors’ interest when he claimed 5/18 for Otago in a Shell Trophy match against his old province, Northern Districts in December 1993. He produced two more promising performances in early March — five wickets against Otago and six against Northern Districts — while bowling for an Academy XI. Nash was recalled to the New Zealand side a week later to play the Only Test against India and three of the following One-Day Internationals. He also played one match of the Pepsi Cup held in Sharjah in April.

Dion Nash’s international career was under way again, but the young all-rounder was yet to entrench himself as a regular in the New Zealand team. In that respect, his selection in the New Zealand squad to tour England in 1994 was a big step forwards, made possible by injury to fellow all-rounder Chris Cairns and the form Nash had shown during the New Zealand summer. Nash’s selection in the starting XI, however, was by no means a certainty. He played only one of the limited-overs matches and turned in an average performance, and claimed only nine wickets in the warm-up matches he played. Nash was a workhorse in the First Test and finished with the unglamorous figures of 2/153 as New Zealand lost by an innings and 90 runs. In fact, Nash may not have secured a place in the Second Test at all had Danny Morrison not been forced out of the tour with a hamstring injury. That fact made the performance Nash produced at Lord’s all the more surprising.

Nash took 11 wickets in the Second Test, with 6/76 in the first innings and 5/93 in the second, the best bowling by a New Zealander against England. He scored 56 with the bat, a valuable addition to the foundation Martin Crowe (142) had laid, which also made Nash the first cricketer ever to achieve the double of ten wickets and a half century in a Test match at Lord’s. The extra bounce and sharp movement Nash extracted from a slow wicket deceived even the best English batsmen, including Gooch and Stewart in both innings. The only frustration for Nash and New Zealand was that he was unable to clean up the English tail. In a move which cost them a hefty fine, the English batsmen fidgeted and delayed after tea on day five, wasting valuable sunshine, until bad light forced Ken Rutherford to take his fast bowlers off and, ultimately, the Test ended in a draw.

Praise for Nash’s performance was superlative. He was presented with the Man of the Match award for his efforts and Fred Trueman announced that "a star is born". For the 22-year-old himself, however, the experience was bewildering, and he was overcome by the applause of the Lord’s crowd. At times, all he could do was smile. There is a little story surrounding the 1994 Lord’s Test which perhaps illustrates just how surprised Nash was with his own performance. Before the Test, Nash entered the visitor’s dressing room at Lord’s with wide-eyed awe but did not hesitate when choosing where he would sit. He chose the spot beneath the gold-lettered board celebrating famous bowling performances at the ‘home of cricket’. "I just parked myself underneath and hoped some of their achievements would leak down on to me," he told The Guardian newspaper a few days later. Nash’s wish came true, and today, his name is inscribed at Lord’s, commemorating the ten-wicket-haul he claimed there in 1994.

Nash’s 11 wickets at Lord’s were the stand-out bowling performance of the tour, but Nash was by no means a one-Test wonder. He left England with 16 Test wickets in three Tests and the New Zealand Man of the Series award. Nash also earned himself a two-year contract with English county Middlesex, where he went in 1995. In fact, Nash had attracted more widespread interest, and had received offers from four other counties before choosing Lord’s as his new home ground. More significantly for New Zealand cricket, the young all-rounder’s burst into the international limelight was a positive sign for what was, at that time, a struggling team and certainly the "silver lining" in a Test series which New Zealand lost nil-to-one. In Nash, the Wisden Almanack proclaimed, "New Zealand had discovered a champion of the future". What his Lord’s feat meant for Nash in the simplest terms, however, was that he now became a regular face in the New Zealand Cricket Team.

His next major tour was to South Africa in November and December of 1994, where Nash was restricted to just one Test when he suffered a side strain and aggravated the injury by attempting to return too soon. Any memory of the cricket Nash played on that tour, however, has been all but completely obscured by the infamous Paarl cannabis-smoking scandal. Nash, along with Stephen Fleming and Matthew Hart, was one of three players to admit smoking cannabis at a poolside party on tour, yet when he arrived in Middlesex in 1995, Nash denied using cannabis and claimed that he had been set up. Further tension developed when the players were fined upon their return to New Zealand, although they had been assured, having given their confessions, that their punishment would be limited to a brief suspension while on tour. The whole truth of the incident is still not clear, but today it tends to Nash’s credit that he admitted his guilt while other, more senior players apparently did not. Years later, Nash dismissed the incident as youthful folly: "I think everyone realises I was a bit stupid at the time. I don't think it helps having a name that rhymes with hash," he quipped casually.

The First Back Injury

With commitments to the New Zealand side, New Zealand’s domestic season, and his county contract with Middlesex, Nash played a huge amount of cricket in 1995. On the one hand, it was an important phase in his development as a cricketer. "I loved the opportunity I got at Middlesex," Nash said. "It was certainly a learning experience for me and it was probably a real shame that I couldn’t fulfil my second year because that’s probably when it would have borne fruit for both me and Middlesex as well." But so much cricket also began to take its toll on Nash’s body. Nash followed up his season at Middlesex with New Zealand’s tour of India in October and November, but he was exhausted. He played three Tests and five One-Day Internationals on that tour, but Nash confesses that he had begun chucking as his weary body began to take short-cuts. It was a clear-cut case, Nash explains, of too much cricket in too short a period. Perhaps more critically, however, Nash was also beginning to pay the price for inadequate training.

Nash maintained his place in the national side through the New Zealand home season and the following tour of Pakistan in February-March 1996, but his back had become increasingly troublesome and he was never fully fit when New Zealand toured the West Indies in March. Nash was naturally frustrated, as he began to spend less and less time playing cricket and more and more time on the physio’s bench. Acute back pain kept him out of the two Tests, and he played only two one-day games while in the Carribean. That frustration surely offers a partial explanation for the alleged misbehaviour Nash, amongst others, apparently displayed towards coach and manager at that time, according to Glenn Turner’s controversial ‘expose’ of his tenure as coach. But, in any case, worse problems than run-ins with the team-management lay just around the corner for Nash.

Despite the pain in his back, Nash returned to Middlesex in mid-1996 for the second season of his two-year contract. Nash managed only two games for the county, however, before his mysterious back injury necessitated the premature termination of his contract on June 26. The situation was made even more painful for Nash because multiple scans and X-rays while in England had failed to diagnose Nash’s injury or even reveal any physical damage, and the British media hurtfully claimed that Nash’s problem was in his head, not his back. Only when Nash returned to New Zealand did tests finally reveal the nature of his back injury: he had stress fractures in his lower spine and his L5 disc had prolapsed, painfully pinching the surrounding nerves. Around the same time, Nash also lost the opportunity of financial security his first contract with New Zealand Cricket would have offered when he failed the requisite fitness test. After two solid years with the New Zealand Cricket Team, Nash suddenly found himself injured, unemployed, and his international career as good as over in the minds of many.

Stress fractures are essentially an overuse injury, which can be caused simply by playing too much cricket. Even the most technically-correct fast bowling is unnatural for the human body, as it repeatedly subjects the bowler’s body to extreme, twisting forces. Before his injury in 1996, Nash’s bowled with an awkward ‘mixed’ action, which meant, in essence, that he was bowling side-on with his feet and front-on with the top half of his body. His technical faults caused excessive twisting of his back when he bowled. Nonetheless, Nash’s injury could have been prevented with proper management and training, particularly of the abdominal muscles, which can be developed to counter the force of bowling and relieve the stress on the bowler’s back. Unfortunately for Nash, he did not receive adequate guidance either from New Zealand Cricket or at Middlesex, and suffered a serious back injury that really was "an accident waiting to happen".

"It hadn't been drilled home enough to me, as a professional, that I had to use what little down time I had doing rehab work on my muscles and back, rather than just taking the wear and tear day after day," Nash told sports journalist Margot Butcher after his comeback in 1998. Without vigilant guidance, he added, it was too easy for a young cricketer to view rest days as time off, rather than time to work on. Compounding Nash’s problem was his youthful enthusiasm and natural eagerness to impress the selectors by playing every match he could. "I was a bit naïve," Nash explained. "My injury could have been prevented, both by training the muscles which I needed to protect the back area, and by managing the amount of bowling I was doing and my rest periods." Sadly, Nash was a victim of too much cricket and inadequate training, and the price he paid was two years of his international career.

Those two years were hard times for Nash, physically, mentally, and economically. Sometimes, he commented later, he found it hard simply getting out of bed in the morning. Nash described the mental process in New Zealand Sport Monthly’s feature on his comeback. He was not ready to accept the consensus view which suggested that he would never bowl again, but he fluctuated between optimism and resignation. "It was like breaking up a relationship. You go through different stages, ups and downs," Nash told Margot Butcher. "Initially, I thought I would just get over it but, after a few months, I realised the injury was more serious. Then I got a bit ‘anti’. I thought maybe I should just flag it, forget playing cricket for New Zealand. But, almost as soon as my mind went there, I thought, ‘No!’."

Certainly, Nash was trying to think beyond cricket in the months following his injury in 1996. For one thing, he was now living in Auckland and had a mortgage to take care of. Without the income of a cricket contract, Nash sought other employment, but he found potential employers became skeptical when he confessed his ambitions to play cricket again were unwilling to make offers. Instead Dion Nash, the wonder-boy of Lords in 1994, found himself working part-time in a bar. Meanwhile, Nash found he had a little more time on his hands to indulge his love of the beach. "I tried to become a surfie, but I found I wasn’t any good at that," he said on the Strassman talk show in 2001. Ultimately, however, Nash’s time on the sidelines and the unwelcome thought of working a nine-to-five job made him realise how much he loved playing cricket. "I know it's a cliche, but you don't realise what you've got until it's gone," Nash explained. "I didn't realise how much I loved cricket and loved being part of a team until I was sitting at home. Let me tell you, the beach in summer isn't all it's cracked up to be."

The comeback trail

By mid-1997, Nash’s mind was made up. "I want to get back playing, that's the most important thing in my life," he told the Waikato Times. That realisation gave Nash the determination he needed to make a comeback. Physically, the first step was rest. Once Nash had taken a break from cricket, however, a family friend introduced him to Pilates, which he credits with his recovery. Pilates is a system of exercise using machines which works to train particular muscle groups. The exercises are slow, controlled, and focus on strengthening the body trunk and abdominal muscles, the precise region where Nash’s training had been lacking. When Nash started Pilates in April 1997, the technique was still relatively obscure aside from its use by ballet-dancers, an association which, Nash found, attracted a fair amount of teasing. But, as Nash proved, Pilates had much to offer other sports as well, and he was part of a movement whereby Pilates is now used by rugby players and cricketers in Australia and New Zealand and, meanwhile, Pilates studios have proliferated in the wider community.

Working with physiotherapist Graham Nuttridge and sports psychologist Gilbert Enoka, Nash spent the winter of 1997 gradually building towards a return to the bowling crease. After doing two-hour Pilates sessions four times a week for five months, Nash was bowling again, albeit only at half-pace, and modifying his bowling technique under the guidance of John Bracewell. That meant working on retaining his balance through the delivery stride to minimise wear-and-tear on his body and reduce the injury risk. Nash also lost some pace as a result of his back injury, and a few yards off his long, gliding run-up.

What mattered for Nash, however, was that his goal — to play for New Zealand again — now looked attainable. He was on-track for his first goal, bowling for Northern Districts in the forthcoming domestic season, but his ambitions didn’t stop there. Throughout the comeback process, Nash had his sights fixed on the New Zealand team. "To be honest, the international level is the only level I can see myself being happy playing at," he said in November. "I'm pretty fired up to get back and get amongst it." And, as he saw it, "there’s no point in not being confident." The attitude implicit in that statement sums up Dion Nash and, arguably, that ‘never say die’ spirit had more to do with his eventual comeback than even the Pilates regime.

Having played only a limited role the previous season as a specialist batsman, for 1997-1998 Nash returned to the Northern Districts team in all-round capacity. He gradually increased his bowling workload and intensity over November and December. Nash was also revealed how much his batting had improved with the hard work he’d put in during his enforced 18-month break from the bowling crease. All in all, Nash domestic form was outstanding. He performed strongly in the early season Cricket max competition and only improved in the following competitions. He topped the Northern Districts batting averages in the Shell Cup and also scored prolifically in the Shell Trophy and Conference Cricket, with centuries in both competitions. Meanwhile, Nash’s comeback campaign received an extra vote of confidence when he was selected to captain the Northern side in Conference Cricket. "Obviously I was very happy, but not too surprised," said Nash, who had previous captaincy experience at Dargaville High School and with the Northland team. "I think about the game fair bit," he added.

"It’s the ultimate feeling to play for your country and perform well for your country, and that hasn’t changed at all, but I’m not trying to run before I cam walk," Nash said in November 1997. At that stage, he was aiming to be bowling at full-pace for Northern Districts after Christmas, but did not state when he hoped he might return to the national side. In fact, Nash’s international recall was almost immediate. On December 30, on the back of ‘irresistible’ domestic form, Nash was named in the New Zealand squad for the second half of the one-day tri-series which resumed in Australia in January 1998. "He's produced the goods right through Conference Cricket and into Shell Cup," said Ross Dykes, then New Zealand convenor of selectors. "His form with both bat and ball is very high and he is satisfied, as are his medical advisers, that he's now capable of giving what's required at the top level."

Although Nash was almost back to full pace, his international comeback was to be carefully managed. He arrived in Australia with restrictions on the number of overs he could bowl and stipulated rest games, which signalled a significant new approach within New Zealand Cricket. Nash also wanted "short and sharp" net sessions, rather than the gruelling task of plying bowling machine to his batting team-mates. It was important to remember, Nash explained to the media, that his injury — the bulging disc in his back — was not going to go away. "It’s just a matter of managing it," he said. Nash was one of the first New Zealand cricketers to be placed on the so-called "managed plan" developed by New Zealand Cricket’s sports science panel. Nash’s story, and others like it, made it clear that top-down action was required in the prevention and better management of cricket injuries.

In cooperation with the New Zealand Accident Compensation Corporation and the International Captain’s Committee, New Zealand Cricket responded over the next few years with initiatives such as guidelines for school and club coaches limiting the workload of young players, and a standard two-day break between consecutive One-Day Internationals. Of course, the number of injuries to New Zealand cricketers over the last few seasons shows that these developments have not been entirely successful, but it is a start. Nash, meanwhile, has always been outspoken — even bitter — on the topic of injury management and prevention and, even in retirement, he has continued input on the issue through the New Zealand Players Association of which he became a founding representative in 2001.

‘The Comeback Success Story of New Zealand Cricket’

Northern Districts’ Alex Tait had a fair bit to say about Dion Nash following the Knights’ 1998 Shell Cup victory: "Mate, I tell ya, he’s an absolute inspiration to everyone in our dressing room," said Tait. "He's full of aggression and energy and he’s just so competitive. He desperately wants to win all the time. He talks us up. Having him back is just huge for us." Tait was by no means the first or the last to make that sort of comment about Nash, whose attitude has always been the signature feature of his game. The selectors hoped that Nash would contribute some of that spirit to the struggling New Zealand side when he was recalled for the tri-series in Australia. They were right.

If Nash’s recall in was the rebirth of his cricket career, his first game back in the New Zealand side was truly a baptism of fire. Chasing South Africa’s 300 runs at the ‘Gabba on January 9, New Zealand’s cause looked all but lost at 6/124 before valiant partnerships from Chris Cairns and Adam Parore, then Parore and Nash. Following Parore’s dismissal, Nash became the senior partner with Daniel Vettori at the other end. With New Zealand needing six runs to tie the scores, Nash lapped the penultimate ball and suffered the outrageous fortune of landing it on the full on the back rope where there was an overlap in the boundary rope. He was awarded four runs, meaning three were needed to win the match. The field was in close, cutting of twos, and Nash had no choice but to go after the last ball. He hit it well, but not well enough for Lance Klusener, who sprinted around the boundary to secure a wonderful catch and South African victory.

Nash, so nearly a hero, was out for 38 and left the field to a standing ovation from the Brisbane crowd. Disappointment was written all over his face. "To come so far and get so close but lose on the last ball is just too painful to talk about," he told the Evening Post the next day. The last-ball loss seemed, for a while at least, to obscure the personal victory his international comeback had been. "I've still got a lot of work to do on my game," Nash said simply, adding that his primary goal was to earn the respect of his team-mates through his on-field performance. In fact, Nash confessed he was initially "really nervous" about rejoining a side with many new faces after his two-year absence. But he was pleasantly surprised by how easily he slotted back in, and spoke enthusiastically time and again of the "wicked team spirit" he discovered in the new-look, more confident Black Caps. Nash himself was to play a big role in the improving fortunes of the New Zealand Cricket Team over the next two years.

Nash kept his place in the side when the team returned to New Zealand after the unsuccessful tour of Australia. He performed consistently in the One-Day series against Zimbabwe and Australia, claiming a wicket in every match he bowled in. Nash’s reward was his Text comeback. He had played six one-day games in 11 days and that was considered an adequate test of his troublesome back. Nash was named in the XI to play the First Test against Zimbabwe at the Basin Reserve, 22 months after his injury in the West Indies. At last Nash felt his comeback was complete. "Test cricket is the big one and the one I've been holding out for," he said after his selection, and confirmed that he didn’t have any fitness concerns about bowling at Test level. Instead of worrying about his back giving up on him, Nash was at last able to concentrate on the details. While his batting and fielding had exceeded expectations, Nash was still not completely happy with his bowling. "I’m working on my outswinger," he said.

Nash claimed two wickets in the First Test and made a handy 41 with the bat. He took five wickets in the Second Test, including the economical figures of 2/13 off 10 overs. New Zealand won the series 2-0 and Nash’s bowling was continually on the improve. That trend continued into the second half of the One-Day series. He sat out the third one-dayer under New Zealand’s new policy of seam-bowler rotation, but returned to take three wickets in the fourth. In Auckland, however, Nash dislocated shoulder while attempting a diving catch. Fortunately, the mishap occurred in the second innings of the last match of the home summer. Nash was fit in time for New Zealand’s next tour, the Coca Cola Cup in India in April 1998, where he captured six wickets in the three games he played, including his career-best Limited Overs bowling return of 4/38 off 10 overs.

Nash had not produced a repeat of Lords 1994, but clearly his comeback had been a success, and one well worth the wait for New Zealand Cricket. "He is the biggest rehabilitation success we have had," said Gilbert Enoka, the player liaison officer who had coordinated Nash’s comeback. After a two-year break, Nash had quickly re-established himself as a regular face in the Black Caps. His comeback was not entirely smooth sailing, however. Nash was not selected for any of the three Tests in Sri Lanka, apparently due to concerns about his fitness, and he played only three matches of the following Singer Akai Nidahas trophy after straining a stomach muscle while fielding. In July, he was reported to be in doubt for the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur due to a flare-up of his back problem. Nash was picked in the Games squad nonetheless but only got as far as the Black Caps’ warm-ups in Queensland before he was flying home with a back injury. He also missed the Wills Mini World Cup held in Bangladesh in November of that year. By November, however, Nash was playing his second season as captain of the Northern conference team, at first as a specialist batsman, and by December he was bowling again. Confident that his injury niggles had cleared up, Nash was looking forward to establishing a regular place in the New Zealand Test team.

During the 1998-1999 summer, Nash made the shift from Northern Districts to Auckland. He had been in discussions with the association since July 1998 over a deal which may have included the captaincy as an inducement for Nash to switch allegiance. As Nash saw it, however, the change was perfectly logical. "It makes sense," Nash told the press, responding to the idea that he had unduly abandoned his old home team, "I live here. I support the Auckland Blues". Nash was drafted into the Auckland Aces in November 1998. As it happened, however, New Zealand’s home program did not allow Nash much time to play for Auckland that summer, and New Zealand Cricket wisely granted Nash, amongst other top players, exemptions from those rounds of the domestic competition for which he would have been available. Ironically, in one of Nash’s first games involving his new domestic team, he was playing on the other side, when Auckland played the Black Caps in a friendly match as part of New Zealand’s World Cup preparations.

The Captaincy

Nash was something of a surprise selection for the First Test against India in Dunedin, which was to have commenced on December 18, just a month or so after he resumed bowling in domestic competition. As it happened, the Test was rained out without a ball bowled, but nonetheless it marked the start of the period of Nash’s career in which he played his best cricket. Nash more than justified his Test selection with his superb all-round performance in the Second Test at Wellington. Nash took four wickets in the Test, three of them coming from 15 overs for just 20 runs. Meanwhile, Nash was not dismissed in the Test played a significant role with the bat. In the first innings, he posted his career best Test score of 89 not out in a partnership of 138 with Daniel Vettori which broke the (then) New Zealand record for the eighth-wicket. Nash’s second innings contribution was one well-struck four which, fittingly, sealed the win for New Zealand. Nash played similarly well in the drawn Third Test, scoring 63 in the second innings before he was dismissed for the first time in the series. The Indian bowlers had been unable to break through Nash’s defence, and even then his wicket fell only due to run-out for which Chris Cairns later claimed fault.

Nash’s somewhat unexpected form in the Test series guaranteed his selection for the One-Day series which followed. When Stephen Fleming left the field with a groin injury during the series opener in Taupo, it was Nash who took over the captaincy in the 33^rd over. That was the game when the new Owen Delaney Park lights failed during their first day/night match, resulting in a shortened run chase under the recently introduced Duckworth-Lewis rules. When Nash walked to the crease following the break in play, he seemed more nervous than usual and his anxiety, perhaps, had deeper roots than the runs that remained to be scored. The Taupo match was played on January 9, a year to the day after Nash could not score the winning boundary in the infamous ‘Gabba Match’. As it happened on January 9, 1999, however, Nash remained not out on one and New Zealand won comfortably by five wickets. The personal achievement for Nash, however, was arguably more significant: just a year after his return to international cricket, he had successfully re-established himself to the extent that he was now called upon to captain his country.

Steve Rixon’s opinion may have been decisive in Nash’s as stand-in captain. "He brings out the competitive edge and the fight in our guys. It's something we've lacked," Rixon said afterwards. "When Dion first got into the side, I rubbed my hands together and said, ‘Hallelujah! At last here's someone from the same corner’." Whatever the reason, Nash remained as stand-in captain while Stephen Fleming's groin continued to trouble him. That turned out to mean the remainder of the one-day series against India, the first three one-day games and three-Test series against South Africa. And Nash proved himself so successful over the summer of 1998-1999 — at least in the eyes of public and press — that there was talk of his instatement as permanent one-day captain. As James McOnie wrote in The Sunday News, Nash was the "flavour of the holiday season". It is worth examining that phenomenon more closely.

The statistics suggest Nash performed well as captain, but not outstandingly. He ended the summer with a one-day captaincy record of four wins and three losses and a 0-1 loss to South Africa in the three Tests. Nor did Nash's own batting and bowling figures seem to justify such high praise and, despite the hype, others asked if the pressure of captaincy was perhaps too much for Nash. He performed very strongly in the Tests against India, but his captaincy coincided with a down-turn in his personal performances. Nash took only three wickets in the seven one-day games while averaging just over 15 with the bat. In the Tests he averaged 14 and took just two wickets. In fact when Stephen Fleming returned to the captaincy for the final three one-dayers against South Africa there was some — albeit far-fetched — talk of dropping Nash from the New Zealand team. However, Nash himself maintained that his average performances with bat and ball were not the product of the increased burden of captaincy, and should be seen as a normal drop-off in form which may affect any player at any time. Nor should one forget the occasions during Nash’s time as captain when his pure talent as a cricketer did show through, most memorable of which was the famous long, straight six he struck off Allan Donald.

The praise for Nash from press and public was not unfounded panegyric, even if it is hard to pin down the "something we've lacked" that Nash added to the team. New Zealand had tied the one-day series with India and took the lead in the first three ODIs against South Africa, something few would have expected at the beginning of the season. And, as Joseph Romanos wrote in the Listener magazine’s cover story on ‘One Day Wonder’ Dion Nash, "if we are searching for the x-factor, it was Nash". Numerous attempts have been made to define that "x-factor". Romanos explained that "... the ingredient that has really made the difference and has clearly lifted the side a full level, is the permanent presence of Dion Nash, the charismatic all-rounder with the penchant for performing best when the going is toughest." Yvonne Martin put it down to Nash’s "killer instinct on field" ... and "rugged good looks". Stephen Fleming commented that "the fighting quality" was "the most satisfying aspect" to emerge and that "Dion has excelled in this area". The verdict? The strongest quality of Nash’s leadership was his intense competitive attitude that pervades every aspect of his game.

There was more to Nash’s success than the will to win, however. Several commentators praised the excellent communication between Nash as captain and his team-mates. Nash himself emphasised communication with his bowlers, an area where Fleming’s leadership had, at that time, sometimes been weak. "I tend to think the bowlers know better than me where they want their fielders," he commented. To a greater extent than Fleming, Nash saw the captaincy as a bilateral, or communal process. "It’s brilliant having heaps of experienced guys to turn to for advice," Nash said. Using the combined wisdom of the team didn’t mean a lack of leadership from Nash, however. He consistently tried to lead from the front, which included promoting himself above Harris and Parore in the batting line-up, and taking on the task of bowling at the death. Viewed from another perspective, Nash could be criticised on both these counts — particularly when, more than once, the winning runs were plundered from his final over — but such a view would be little more than scape-goating. "Spirit and fielding" were two further areas Nash emphasised, and two areas in which he did unquestionably lead from the front.

Overall, Nash came out of his stint as captain as a success story. When Fleming returned, Nash continued as unofficial vice-captain, a recognition once again of the impact he could make on the team. Nash’s captaincy skills would be called on again during tour matches in England and for a day when Fleming was ill during the Tests against the West Indies at the end of the year. Later, in 2001, Nash would be called upon to captain his provincial side, Auckland, and a Selection XI team which beat the touring Sri Lankans when the national side could not. In 1999, Nash certainly enjoyed his role in the ODIs and as New Zealand’s 25th Test captain, despite the disappointing result of the latter series. But, as he said repeatedly, he never wished to replace Stephen Fleming on a permanent basis. It was a great experience, but all along Nash really saw himself as filling Fleming’s shoes.

"I’m thrilled to be doing it and it’s a real honour. But I see it as just a caretaker role because Flem is confident of being back pretty soon. I just want to keep the ship going on the successful course that he has been steering," Nash told The Press the day after he took over from Fleming. He was still expressing the same, humble sentiment when he evaluated his time as captain at the end of the season. "I feel really privileged to have been entrusted with the national captaincy in Steve’s absence over the last couple of months," Nash wrote in his ‘Captain’s Log’ column on the series sponsor’s website. "It’s been a great experience, though a tough one at times, for sure. Not everything has gone my way, and I’ve found out first hand how demanding it really is to captain your country both on and off field. It’s much easier letting someone else do the job! But I know I’m the richer for it as a cricketer and will always value the opportunity the selectors offered me. The support I’ve had from the team, from Flem and from the public has been awesome as well — thank you all!"

Nash stepped down and the Black Caps, led once again by Fleming, went on to lose the one-day series to South Africa 2-3. Looking back, Nash had made his mark on the 1998-1999 home season, but the Black Caps were now looking ahead to bigger things: England and the 1999 World Cup.

England 1999

Nash, the unofficial Vice Captain, was selected in the Black Caps’ World Cup squad as a matter of course. New Zealand’s World Cup campaign got underway against Bangladesh at Chelmsford on May 17. Dion Nash played that game and was to be selected for every game of the 1999 World Cup. New Zealand defeated Bangladesh, not yet then a Test nation, by six wickets. The match was unremarkable, as were Nash’s bowling figures of 0/30 off ten overs: economical, but wicketless. He wasn’t required to bat. Nash’s performance at Chelmsford was, on the whole, typical of his World Cup form. Something had changed, however, since the preceding home season. Nash was now opening the bowling alongside Geoff Allott, with Chris Cairns coming in at first change.

Aside from the fact that Cairns was returning from an injury — a ruptured calf muscle sustained against South Africa — New Zealand’s reasons for the change were not obvious and, each time the Black Caps took the field, Martin Crowe challenged the move from the commentary box. Crowe described Nash as a first change bowler, while Cairns, he maintained adamantly, should take the new ball. Crowe did not get his way, and Nash continued to open the bowling with Allott. The fact that Nash took just three wickets in nine World Cup outings, while Cairns had some success at first-change, might be seen to suggest that Crowe was right. It is significant, however, that Geoff Allott took a world-record 20 wickets from the other end. Nash’s tight, economical bowling — which frequently teased the edge without actually creating a catch behind the wicket — probably had something to do with that.

Both Nash’s team-mate Gavin Larsen and the New Zealand Herald’s Richard Boock commented that Nash’s contribution during the World Cup was under-rated and the all-rounder was, in fact, an essential part of New Zealand’s success if only as a "foil" to Allott. Meanwhile, Nash did produce several laudable performances in his own right. In the Super Six stage of the competition, Nash claimed the vital wicket of Tendulkar when New Zealand defeated India at Trent Bridge; his figures of 1/16 off 10 overs were amongst the most economical of the tournament. He was seldom required to bat, but when he did, Nash — as so often — tended to show his strongest resistance when the team was struggling.

Wins against Bangladesh and Australia and a quick-fire demolition of Scotland ensured that New Zealand reached the Super Six stage of the competition, where a rained-out no result against Zimbabwe and a defeat by South Africa meant that New Zealand had to defeat India to progress. That they did, the Black Caps securing themselves a Semi Finals birth with a stirring team effort to defeat India. Making the final four was a triumph in itself, and allowed New Zealand Cricket to represent the 1999 World Cup campaign as a success which would be remembered, in particular, for New Zealand’s wins against India and Australia in Cardiff. In the Semi Final at Manchester, however, New Zealand were undone undone yet again by the Pakistani batsmen after posting what looked to have been a defensible total. In the heat of the moment, at least, Dion Nash was unable to appreciate the honour of playing in a World Cup semi-final: all that mattered to him, in the aftermath of defeat, was that his team had lost. Gavin Larsen told in his World Cup diary Grand Larseny how Nash sat in a corner of the change rooms for a long time afterwards, distraught and unmoving. Nash was always hyper-competitive and emotional on field. The flip side to that, as Larsen put it simply, was "he hates losing".

The Black Caps had little time to dwell on their Semi Finals disappointment, as a four-match Test series lay ahead. There were positive signs of improvement from Nash in the lead-up to the First Test when New Zealand played a British Universities XI in Oxford. He claimed 5/24, helping New Zealand to victory by an innings and 44 runs. As coach Steve Rixon saw it, the game was a vital confidence boost for Nash, who had bowled well during the World Cup, frequently beating the bat, without the reward of wickets. At Birmingham, however, the First Test did not go well for New Zealand. Nash took four wickets and scored 21 in New Zealand’s troubled first innings, but the Kiwi total — made respectable only by the lower order efforts of Parore and swing bowler Simon Doull — was humiliatingly overhauled thanks to a mammoth effort from English nightwatchman Alex Tudor and England won by seven wickets.

New Zealand was one-nil down in the Test series, but Nash’s bowling was showing marked improvement since the conclusion of the World Cup. He showed the full extent of his all-round talent during the tour match against Hampshire from 9-12 July. Nash, who captained the New Zealanders for that game, claimed both his highest First Class score (135 not out) and his best First Class innings bowling figures of 7/39 off 20.4 overs, which included 11 maidens. In what was truly a ‘one-man band’ effort, Nash went on to score 62 when New Zealand batted again. A sore back, however, restricted Nash to just seven overs in Hampshire’s second innings and aided the county in batting out a draw. Nash’s bowling in the First Test and — emphatically — against Hampshire, said coach Steve Rixon, was "streets ahead of the rest". The problem for New Zealand with Nash’s all-round fireworks was, as coach Steve Rixon remarked, "he’s doing it all himself". With a question mark now placed over Nash’s fitness for the Second Test, his dramatic improvement in form would not necessarily aid New Zealand’s cause at Lord’s ten days later.

Nash was rested from New Zealand’s next tour match against Kent, and was passed fit to play the Second Test. Lord’s, the arena where Nash made his name with his 11-wicket haul in 1994, was to be the scene of another important ‘discovery’ involving Dion Nash. Geoff Allott had been ruled out with a back injury, Chris Cairns and Dion Nash now opened the bowling together. That new ball pairing proved to be a truly match-winning combination and a vindication of Nash’s use as an opening bowler from the start of the 1999 World Cup. Bowling together, Cairns and Nash helped lift each others’ performance and the team to new heights. That fact was not lost on Nash. "We’ve been pretty close, and we’ve competed against each other a lot to the benefit of the New Zealand team," Nash said three years later. "There was an admiration for each other’s ability." When he retired in 2002, Nash said that one of his greatest regrets was that injury prevented himself and Chris Cairns from playing together more: "if there is one thing I am sad about," Nash said, "it is we didn't get to play together at the top of our games. If we had two or three years together we might have taken the game somewhere."

Unfinished business perhaps, but the Nash/Cairns pairing was effective while it lasted. New Zealand’s nine-wicket Second Test victory — their first at Lord’s — was largely attributable to the role of Chris Cairns and Dion Nash. Nash played second-fiddle to Cairns, but bowled economically and, by now, seemed to have corrected the problems with length he experienced during the World Cup. He finished with four wickets in the match, snaring Alec Stewart, Mark Ramprakash and Aftab Habib in the first innings, all off good deliveries. Nash continued to play well in the Third Test at Old Trafford: he picked up 26 runs and four more wickets, including 3/46 off 31.1 overs, before the Manchester rain ensured the match — which appeared to be poised in New Zealand’s favour — ended as a draw.

Ten days later, New Zealand and England met at The Oval for the series-deciding Fourth Test. It was a tense match, with the advantage passing between the two teams several times over the five days. Half-centuries from Stephen Fleming and Daniel Vettori saw New Zealand to 236 in the first innings, and Chris Cairns took 5/31 to bowl England out for 153. At 6/39 in the second innings, however, New Zealand were in trouble again, and again Cairns responded. He smashed 80 off just 94 balls, taking New Zealand to 162, with Nash left not out on ten. England were set 246 to win, and lost two after tea on day four, leaving New Zealand needing eight wickets on the final day to win the Test and the series. Early on day five, however, the English top order seemed to be taking the game away from New Zealand. Something special was needed from the Black Caps’ bowlers, and it took the form of Dion Nash. In one of his finest spells of Test bowling, Nash captured three crucial wickets in 12 balls. First he removed Atherton, who had spear-headed the chase, caught behind for 64. Stewart and Ramprakash followed, and the other bowlers cleaned up. Nash had succeeded in triggering an English collapse from 2/123 to 162 all out, and giving New Zealand victory by 83 runs. Nash finished with innings figures of 4/39 off 13 overs.

It was said, afterwards, that while Chris Cairns was Man of the Match at the Oval, Nash was unquestionably the man of day five. Looking back on his career when he retired in 2002, Nash identified the 1999 tour of England — and the Oval Test in particular — as the highlight of his career. It was only New Zealand’s second series victory in England. "That’s the highest I’ve ever been," said Nash. The series victory in England was a moment of revelation not only for Nash but also, he felt, the team as a whole. "Personally, I felt that once we’d moved on from that Test we all felt like we were men playing cricket, as opposed to boys". The increased maturity and role of New Zealand’s senior players was, as Nash describes it, a huge part of that ‘coming of age’. Arguably, the two most important senior players during the 1999 tour of England were Chris Cairns — whom Nash describes as "the best player I played with for New Zealand — and Dion Nash himself. The pair finished as, respectively, the highest Test and First Class wicket-takers on tour and their contribution to the team was acknowledged when the pair shared the title of Shell Cricket Almanack Player of the Year.

The second injury

In October 1999, Nash toured India with the Black Caps, keen to continue the good form he had shown in England. "The heat, the environment, and also the weather and the conditions are so different, so it is a very difficult tour," Nash said on arrival, "But at the same time it’s a great challenge. It’s one that is one of the most exciting tours in world cricket. It's also a very tough Indian side we’re up against at the moment. So, you know, it’s going to be a very tough tour, but one that the guys are going to enjoy." For his own part, Nash began the tour in the best possible way. In the First Test at Mohali, Nash posted his best Test innings bowling figures of 6/27 in the first innings, which saw New Zealand bowl out the home team before lunch for just 83 runs. Fortune proved itself extremely changeable on that tour, however: Nash’s 37 overs in the second innings went wicketless and the Test was drawn. Nash made another good start in the Second Test, where he scored a responsible 41 which helped shore-up the Black Caps’ batting in the first innings. When promoted to number three in the second innings, however, Nash was dismissed for a duck; meanwhile he claimed only one wicket during the Test, which New Zealand lost by eight wickets. The Third Test also ended in a draw, giving India a 1-0 series win and, again, Nash bowled many overs in the dry Indian heat for a reward of just one wicket.

The one-day component of the tour began in Rajkot three days later. New Zealand posted a record total — largely thanks to Nathan Astle’s century, scored in 49 degree heat— and won the game by 43 runs. Meanwhile Nash’s fortunes, however, took a radical turn for the worse. During his first over, Nash lost his balance, fell and felt muscle spasms in his back. He was in obvious pain and, when he tried to resume bowling, found he could not. Nash left the field with a back injury that was soon revealed to be a prolapsing disc in his lumbar spine. He batted in New Zealand’s second innings but took no further part in the series. He was obviously disappointed to be returning home early from another cricket tour, particularly a tour which, he felt, was a ‘litmus test’ for touring sides as a tour of India is. "Winning the series in England raised the bar for us in terms of what we are striving to achieve as a team," he said. "You don’t really gain respect as a team until you beat other teams on their own conditions." Nash had been optimistic about New Zealand’s chances in the ODIs. "We are starting to knock off some of the top sides. You naturally gain enthusiasm to be part of that," he explained. "I really felt we had a chance to win the current one-day series as well."

As it happened, Nash’s prediction was wrong, and New Zealand lost the one-day series as well. He was closer to the mark on another prediction, however. "I’ve got a funny feeling that I will be back sooner than last time," Nash said of his latest back injury. He emphasised that the injury was a new injury, and not a recurrence of the back injury he suffered in 1996. More importantly, Nash attributed the length of his recovery time from the previous injury to poor diagnosis. This time, the diagnosis was swift and Nash hoped that the recovery period needed would be only four-to-six weeks. the diagnosis this time had been swift, "This is easy to accept compared to last time," Nash said. "It’s a blow, but as long as I can get back fit for the home series I will be happy. I know exactly how I got the last one right and how to treat this one." Nash did progress swiftly in his recovery, and by mid-December he was bowling again at close to full pace.

A few days later, Nash passed an eleventh-hour fitness assessment which allowed him to take part in the two home Tests against the West Indies. He played the First Test and acquitted himself quite well, taking three wickets. He was playing through pain, however, and commented at the conclusion of the Test that his selection had been a close call. "I was a little nervous and in many ways stuck my neck out, and the coach and his support staff did as well in terms of my taking a place in the starting line-up," Nash said. One consequence of Nash’s original injury in 1996 was that a day rarely passed when he did not experience back pain; that situation had worsened in India. "It’s not as free as it was in England, or in the early stages in India. But it's getting better. It’s about finding an action and a level of fitness where my back can handle the constant pounding," Nash explained. "I felt I could bowl at full pace. It was just a matter of whether I could get through the amount of overs. I’ve learnt now I’m never going to be able to bowl flat-stick again over an extended period and it’s a matter of bowling within yourself and being able to bowl a quicker ball every now and then."

But Nash’s relentless, competitive streak sometimes made it difficult for him to ‘bowl within himself’. Nash stood in as captain when Stephen Fleming was ill and found himself in a duel with Ricardo Powell, when the West Indian batsman decided to go after Nash’s bowling. For a while, Captain Nash became Captain Ahab, fixated on the ‘white whale’ that was Powell’s wicket. The tactic did not work; Powell plundered runs, with 14 coming off one over from Nash. Ultimately, it was an astute captaincy decision, not a special delivery from Nash, that stemmed the flow. He brought on Daniel Vettori, who soon removed Powell. Nash admitted afterwards that he had become carried away. "Sometimes the mind races away with the body," he explained. "It is a case of trying to keep in control and not letting the adrenalin and enthusiasm run away." Such lapses in control were not good for Nash’s back, either. When rain fell, he was grateful for the opportunity to rest. New Zealand won the First Test by nine wickets, an impressive feat, given the West Indies’ formidable first innings total and the time lost to rain.

Nash played the Second Test in Wellington. Back pain did not prevent him from bowling, and bowling well: in the first innings, he sent down 18 overs for one wicket and just 23 runs, and claimed 4/38 in the second innings. New Zealand won the Test comprehensively by an innings and 105 runs, and the series 2-0. New Zealand white-washed the West Indies again in the five-match one-day series which followed. Nash, in his usual aggressive style, had been looking forward to the series, which he hoped would be a closer competition than the Tests. Nash’s back was increasingly painful, however, and his role increasingly limited. He took four wickets in four games but never bowled his full ten overs, and was struggling to get through his action. During the fourth ODI in Wellington, Nash was thought to be bowling at only 60% efficiency. "He was unable to bowl with the intensity he would like, was guarded in his follow through, and was continuing to feel pain," said coach David Trist.

Nash was omitted from the squad to play the fifth ODI, nominally as a precautionary measure, in the hope that he would be fit to play the touring Australians later in the season. He underwent a fitness assessment, and was advised not to bowl, but took part in the Shell Cup finals series as a specialist batsman for Auckland. The precise nature of his back injury, however, remained undiagnosed until early February, when further tests revealed a stress fracture in Nash’s lower spine. He was immediately ruled out for the remainder of the home season and instructed not to bowl for three months. The injury was similar, but unrelated to the 1996 injury; this time the fracture was down the right side of Nash’s vertebra. "The good news is that it’s a new injury and it’s a pretty clear-cut situation, and hopefully I’ll be fit enough for the next series," Nash told the press the next day.

"It’s another disappointment, but I’ve got to be philosophical," Nash said. "It’s annoying this should happen when we’re at the top of our game and getting ready to play the world champions, but that’s life I guess." While disappointing, however, the injury was not unexpected. Nash confessed later that he had suspected the true nature of the injury from the first twinges in his back. "Oh, I knew," he told Player magazine in 2001, "I bowled the whole West Indies series with it and I just knew. I was taking more and more pain-killers and it just wasn’t doing anything." Those words suggest that Nash’s decision to play against the West Indies was reckless but, if so, it must also have been a desperate measure not to let injury rob him of any more of his cricketing career.

False Starts

During the off-season, Nash followed the prescribed program of rest, followed by a gradually-increasing bowling workload which would ease him back to match fitness. Meanwhile, he kept in the public eye through a number of television guest appearances – a measure, perhaps, of the stature he had by now attained – and spoke optimistically about making a comeback before too long. Nash’s target was New Zealand’s winter tours to Zimbabwe and South Africa. Although not yet fully fit, he was named in the touring squad, subject to a fitness test. In early August, New Zealand Cricket received optimistic medical reports on Nash’s condition. He was to miss New Zealand’s warm-up matches in Brisbane and the tri-series in Singapore, but was expected to return to the Black Caps either for the Zimbabwe tour or the following tour of South Africa.

A month later, Nash joined the New Zealand team in Zimbabwe, but it was revealed that he was not yet fit enough to play the opening tour match, and was immediately ruled out of the First Test. Nash bowled in the nets each day, but only at around 85% efficiency, and New Zealand Cricket attracted criticism for selecting Nash when it now appeared that he might not play any role in the First-Class section of the tour. Almost immediately, however, Nash was selected and bowled for the shadow Test side in the tour match against Zimbabwe A. "The first test was always probably going to be out of reach but I'm still hopeful of the next test if I can take my chances here," Nash told the press when named in the side. "I’m just happy to be on tour. It was always going to be difficult coming over here, a bit of an unknown quantity."

On September 19, Nash made his international comeback in the Second Test in Bulawayo. He had not yet fully recovered from his back injury, however, and probably would not have played were it not for the large number of other injuries affecting the squad at the time: Nash essentially replaced fellow stress fracture-victim Daniel Vettori, who suffered a recurrence of his back injury during his comeback in the First Test. Unfortunately, Nash’s ‘comeback’ was to prove as short-lived as Vettori’s. Together with Chris Cairns, Nash bettered the record eighth-wicket partnership he had set with Daniel Vettori in 1998, scoring 62 in the first innings. Nash also bowled 17 economical overs in each innings, but was increasingly stiff and sore, and he was instructed not to bowl on day five. When a stubborn Zimbabwean ninth-wicket partnership seemed to be taking the Test out of New Zealand’s reach, however, Nash put the good of the team before his own and demanded that Stephen Fleming allow him to bowl. Fleming acceded and, three balls later, Nash did succeed in breaking the critical partnership. Although he did so by running out Mbangwa, Nash had again demonstrated his match-winning ability to ‘make something happen’. New Zealand won the two-Test series 2-0.

Nash had suffered a flare-up of the two stress fractures in his back, and was scarcely able to bowl in the nets following the Second Test. By the end of September, it was apparent that he would probably not remain on tour. Nash and Geoff Allott, who was also recovering from stress fractures in his lower back, missed the First ODI and "D-Day", said coach David Trist, was a fitness test prior to the Second ODI. "It's a bit like 12 noon, the gunfight at the OK corral," Trist explained. "They’ve done everything they can, we’ve done everything we can, and now it’s time to play and if they’re not able to then we have to review their status." Nash was struggling more than Allott, and the decision was made to send him home. Nonetheless, Nash did play the Second ODI: as a batsman only, to help out a team hard-hit by injuries and illness.

Nash’s international ‘comeback’ lasted just one Test and can only be termed a false start. Six months later, he would admit that he had tried to come back too early. The consequence was that Nash flew home early from yet another New Zealand tour and, like four years earlier, it seemed that his injury-plagued career might finally be over. He was written off by many commentators, at least as a top-level pace bowler. Martin Crowe predicted that Nash would never play for New Zealand again. Many commentators remarked in the closing months of the year 2000 that Nash would never play for New Zealand again. Gavin Larsen remarked that "any sane person" might say that Dion Nash just wasn’t meant to bowl. Nash himself must have been devastated and confused. His own schemes in the closing months of the year 2000 ranged from reinventing himself as a batsman or off-spinner to making a full return to pace bowling at international level. He even briefly considered an operation on his back, but dismissed the idea because of the high-risk and low guarantee of success.

For a month or so, Dion Nash seemed to be forgotten altogether. In late October, however, he attracted media interest again by bowling a few overs of off-spin in a club cricket match, but succeeded only in upsetting his troublesome back. Nonetheless, he played Auckland’s next Max game as a specialist batsman and tried to play with his usual vitality and freedom. It seemed that Nash was in denial. He scored a rapid 38 for Auckland, but further aggravated his back injury. "Dion felt a twinge or two after bowling in the club game on Saturday," said Auckland captain Blair Pocock. "He threw himself about when he was batting, and I think he felt the old back injury." Nash was taught a lesson when back pain forced him to sit out the next few games, and Plan A — offspin — seems to have been abandoned soon after, or at least relegated to ‘interim’ status, until his back recovered sufficiently to bowl at pace again.

Plan B — forcing his way into the Black Caps as a specialist batsman — seems to have been more seriously entertained, both by Nash himself and by those in New Zealand Cricket circles who were apparently as keen as he was to have the fiery all-rounder back in the side, in one capacity or another. "The injury is not too bad when I’m batting or fielding," Nash explained in early November. "Of course I would like to get back to the point where I could bowl but I am realistic enough to know that it is not going to happen immediately." Nash had particularly strong support from Tony Sail, then Auckland coach. "He is good enough to play in any capacity. At number four, five or six, I feel he is as good as any batsman in the country," Sail told the New Zealand Herald. "He certainly has the ability to change his mindset to become a top middle-order batsman. It is a challenge, but Dion has never turned his back on anything. He has scored 2,800 First Class runs, including three centuries and 13 half-centuries." Nash was promptly promoted to number five in the Auckland batting. "I might even use him at four," Sail commented.

Nash, too, sounded confident. "I think I’m good enough to play as a batsman," he said in mid November, but said he believed a middle-order batting spot in the one-day team was a more realistic goal, for the time being, than the New Zealand Test side. "I think Test matches are probably two seasons away," he added. Nash indicated that he had more widespread support for his campaign. "Crowey [Martin Crowe] said some nice positive things about my technique. I’ve received a lot of support and I’m looking forward to the challenge," Nash said. Arguably, Nash’s batting technique and international record suggested that he had the makings of a competent top-level batsman. At times, his Test batting average had been as high as 34, while Nash was averaging 29.25 over his last 17 Tests, which included three 50s. "Batsmen have survived for long periods with a lesser average throughout New Zealand’s cricket history," wrote Lynn McConnell in his column for the official New Zealand Cricket website.

Whether or not Nash had the ability to claim a place in the side as a specialist batsman was unclear, but it was very clear that New Zealand Cricket placed a high value on what he offered the Black Caps in terms of competitive spirit. New Zealand Cricket’s chief executive officer, Chris Doig, had identified Nash as a "special" member of the CLEAR Black Caps. As Lynn McConnell put it, "Dion Nash has become such a crucial element in New Zealand’s cricket equation that he cannot afford to be lost as such an early stage of his career." For that reason, New Zealand Cricket was willing to entertain the possibility of Nash playing as a specialist batsman if he was unable to bowl again. "Ideally," said McConnell, "everyone wants to see Nash competing with both bat and ball. But, realistically, every time he breaks down it must become harder to come back the way he wants."

'One last shot'

Nash applied himself earnestly to the task of batting for Auckland for the remainder of the Max series and every match of the Shell Cup and Shell Trophy competitions which followed. During a Shell Cup match in Hamilton in December, Nash contributed 71 runs in Auckland’s thumping 109-run defeat of Northern Districts. In Christchurch a week later, Nash led the Aces to a four-wicket win in the absence of Blair Pocock. While Nash’s form for Auckland was reasonable, however, it was hardly enough to justify his consideration as an international limited-overs batsman. Nash seemed to realise that ‘Plan B’ was not working as he had hoped.

Auckland’s Shell Trophy match against Wellington in early January 2001 was a turning point. Nash scored his first century of the season in the second innings. That achievement was a vital confidence-boost for Nash, both in terms of his batting campaign for Auckland, and his comeback ambitions more generally. "I committed myself to playing for Auckland as a batsman but till you actually do something like today there is always an element of doubt," Nash said. More significantly, his century in Wellington gave Nash the courage to try to bowl again. "I rolled my arm over in the nets last night and I might be able to bowl a bit of medium pace as the season goes on," Nash said at the conclusion of the match. "I got through about four or five overs. It was only off about five paces but it was nice even to think about bowling again. It’s the first time I’ve even been able to get through my action".

By the end of the month, Nash was bowling in training sessions at what he described as "a reasonable clip". "My mood has picked up now and I am a bit more positive," Nash said, expressing his desire to bowl again for New Zealand, but he was unable to make any estimate of when he might possibly return to the national side. "I’m still looking at my feet, I haven’t lifted my head to look into the future yet," Nash said. Presumably, the possibility of Nash making yet another international comeback was in the national selectors’ minds as well when they picked him to captain the North Island Selection XI which defeated Sri Lanka on January 28.

Nash’s return to First Class bowling came four days later when, as newly appointed Auckland captain, he bowled two short spells against Central Districts in Palmerston North. Although he bowled only two wicketless two-over spells in the first innings, it was a significant achievement for Nash and match reporter Steve McMorran did not hesitate in labelling it "the bowling performance of the day". Nash went on to score a good 64 when Auckland batted. Then, bowling at medium pace, Nash claimed 3/16 off seven overs in the second innings, guiding Auckland to an eight-wicket victory. When interviewed the next day, Nash was pleased to report that his back felt "okay" and, in fact, said he found it difficult restricting himself to mere medium-pace. "I’m just bowling within myself, taking things pretty easy," Nash said.

By now, Nash had realised how important it was to ‘take things easy’; he recognised that trying to comeback too soon was what had undone him in Zimbabwe. New Zealand Cricket’s convenor of selectors, Sir Richard Hadlee, watched most of the game in Palmerston North and talked at length with Nash afterwards, but Nash de-emphasised that fact. "He just asked how I was going and congratulated me on my batting," Nash said. A few days later, however, with the a one-day series against Pakistan looming, Hadlee told the other side. "He [Nash] basically said he was very, very keen to come back but just wanted a wee bit more time." Obviously, Hadlee had been interested in Nash possibly returning as early as the Pakistan series. "I was impressed with what I saw in Palmerston North. He was off his normal run and was getting the ball through nicely so it is great news," Hadlee said.

A week before the one-dayers began, however, Nash ruled himself out of the series. Nash admitted that it was difficult to say ‘no’, but did not wish to jeopardise his recovery. "I feel like I am still a bit under-prepared to start playing international cricket, as much as I’d like to be there," Nash said in mid-February. "I’m now where I was at the start of the season and I made the mistake of going back a month early then. I really don’t want to do the same thing again and embarrass myself and the selectors and let everyone down," he explained, referring to his ill-fated ‘comeback’ in Zimbabwe. Nash also made it clear that he was taking full charge of his recovery process and that, while he was ambitious, would not be taking any risks. "I’m the only one who really knows where I’m at with my body and, believe me, if I thought there was a slim chance I’d be able to do it, I’d be jumping at it. But I just don’t feel I’m there yet," Nash said. "I’m starting to bowl four over spells here and there and, while it feels good, it is taking me time to recover. I have to be careful because I don’t want to break down again and end up back where I was."

Nash continued bowling short spells for Auckland throughout the remainder of the season, and finished with five Shell Trophy wickets at an average of just over 25. Come the end of the season, it was time to re-assess his position. He went to Christchurch for the end-of-year New Zealand Cricket fitness assessments at the High Performance Centre. As early as mid-March, Chris Cairns told the New Zealand Herald that Nash was "going to give it one last shot to try to come back", hopefully for the tour to Australia, where he has never played a Test. Nash still had not made a final decision on his future, however, and took time out — on a tramping trip — to think. Then, in May, he made his decision official. "I feel I owe it one more go," Nash said. It was not a simple decision, however. "I was pleased to bowl for Auckland. It gave me an idea of whether I could bowl with pain or not," Nash explained after making his announcement, but added "I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go through it [the comeback process]". Ultimately, however, the thought of playing international cricket again — and, in particular, the tour of Australia at the end of the year — proved to be big enough "carrots". Nash knew he had a huge challenge ahead of him to get fit but, he said, "I am not going to give it away yet."

Here we go again?

Nash made promising progress during the off-season. Initially, his aim was to make his international comeback when New Zealand toured Australia at the end of the year, but Nash was ahead of schedule. At the end of May, New Zealand Cricket’s medical panel declared him available for selection the Black Caps’ squad for the one-day tri-series in Sri Lanka six weeks later. "We have our fingers crossed with Dion. He wanted to have another shot at things, and so far, so good," player coordinator Gilbert Enoka said of Nash’s progress to date. It was expected that Nash’s name would be included when the team was named on June 14, pending his successful completion of a number of subsequent ‘stringent’ fitness assessments. After receiving the green light, Nash told selector Ross Dykes that he was raring to go and, predictably enough, he was selected to tour Sri Lanka.

"He’s about 80 percent fit and clearly his workload needs to be managed," said Sir Richard Hadlee, after naming Nash in the squad. "It probably means playing one game and having the next off in Sri Lanka. We’re more than happy to accommodate his needs." Not everyone was so enthusiastic about Dion Nash’s latest comeback, however. The New Zealand Herald’s Richard Boock was, as always, keen to point out the contentious aspects of the selector’s decision to pick "half-fit" players. The ‘one game on, one game off’ strategy had been trialed during the one-day series in South Africa the previous year with left-armer Geoff Allott. Allott, like Nash, was another victim of multiple stress fractures in his lower back, and the strategy failed. Allott never played for New Zealand again at the conclusion of that series and quietly announced his retirement in 2001. Boock’s comments were perhaps not overly pessimistic, in the wake of the injury horror story that was New Zealand Cricket in 2000. He also pointed out that the inclusion of Nash and Vettori, both of whom were returning from major back injuries, meant that bowling ‘cover’ would be needed, at the expense of greater batting depth. "Is it really ‘Welcome back, Dion’, or is it, ‘Good grief, here we go again?’," Boock asked.

Nash admitted that he felt "lucky" the selectors were giving him another chance, but was obviously happy to be bowling again. "I’m enjoying bowling again," Nash told the Press in June. "It’s nice to be able to do what you do well." Nash made it clear, however, that his back had not fully recovered and nor did he expect it to. Instead, Nash reiterated, what was needed was careful management. "When I’m bowling, it’s pretty good at the moment, but every time you get stiff the old aches and pains do come back," he told The Press. Nash had been bowling for about 40 minutes every second day for a month without too much trouble, but he was not pain-free. It was a matter of "degrees of pain", he explained. But pain was something he had come to accept. His two sets of stress fractures, Nash suggested, were proof that bowling is an inherently unhealthy. "My stress fractures were 18 months apart," said Nash. "You can deduce from that, that over 18 months of cricket your back comes under a lot of stress and inevitably gives way". Subsequently, Nash was fully aware that, despite his hard work on fitness and ‘smoothing out’ his bowling action, his troublesome back may give way for a third time, in which case it would probably spell the end of his career.

For the time being, however, Nash was keen to get his place — and his pace — back. He saw the one-day tri-series as an ideal reintroduction to international cricket, because the format limited the overs he would bowl and offered rest time between games. "There’s definitely ways of getting through when you don’t have to come back and bowl 20 overs," Nash said. Ideally, he hoped that a rotation-system could be used, to minimise the risk to himself and other bowlers making their comebacks from major injuries. "That’s an ideal scenario for me," he said. Nash had been saying essentially the same thing since his first major comeback in 1998, and would continue saying it after he announced his retirement. Injuries to top cricketers was a world-wide phenomenon, he said in May 2002, one which demanded action in terms of less-crowded international schedules and player rotation systems. Fittingly, just a few days before his national recall in June 2001, Nash was named as Auckland’s founding representative in the New Zealand Players Association, formed to represent First Class cricketers’ interests, including the concerns which Nash had consistently voiced.

Nash bowled five overs in New Zealand’s warm-up against Sri Lanka A but sat out the tour opener on July 18, opting instead to make his comeback against India two days later. The decision was simply a matter of caution in keeping with Nash’s carefully managed comeback, said manager Jeff Crowe, who felt moved to explain that there was "nothing sinister" about Nash missing the game. Nash took the field against India as planned, and truly was ‘back with a bang’. Bowling at first change, he demolished India’s middle-order batting, claiming his second-best one-day return of 3/13 off six overs in the process. Following the match, Nash reportedly felt no ill-effects from his return to the bowling crease, but missed the following double-header with a bout of food poisoning. Nash returned to play India again on July 26. Batting at number eight, he his highest one-day score of 42 runs in New Zealand’s modest total of 200, helping New Zealand to an improbable 67-run victory. He also took 1/25 when India batted, and received the Man of the Match award for his match-winning efforts with the bat. Nash also top-scored for the Black Caps in his next match, New Zealand’s 106-run defeat by Sri Lanka: ironically, his 23 runs were second only to extras (25) in the New Zealand innings. The Black Caps did not reach the tri-series finals.

When the Black Caps returned to New Zealand, Nash was pleased to report that his back had not troubled him in Sri Lanka. In fact, it had improved during the tournament. He was selected for the one-day component of New Zealand’s upcoming tour of Pakistan and seemed to be on-track for a Test comeback in Australia in November. As it turned out, security concerns following the September 11 attacks on the United States meant that the Pakistan tour was cancelled, but Nash’s comeback could be pronounced a success. The significance of his achievement, physically mentally, should not be underestimated. Although, by now, Nash’s cricketing career had come to evoke a series of injuries and comebacks as much as wickets and runs, New Zealand Cricket’s resident ‘Lazarus’ had made it clear that his seemingly-endless comebacks could not be taken for granted. Nash also pointed out the mental side of his recovery had been more difficult than overcoming the pain of his injury. He described the comeback trail as a period of strong emotions and mixed feelings. As always, Nash’s ‘never say die’ attitude seems to have enabled him to persevere beyond the point where most people would have given up. "It’s quite an interesting time, I’m thinking about positive thoughts and trying to visualise the good times I’ve had in the past," Nash said.

The taste of Test cricket

Throughout the comeback process, the 2001-2002 tour of Australia had been a major motivation for Nash, who had never previously played in a Test match there. In September, Nash informed New Zealand cricket that his back was now ready to face the next stage of his comeback: Test cricket. When the Test squad was named in early October, Nash was selected, along with three other bowlers — Chris Cairns, Shayne O’Connor and Daniel Vettori — making their Test comebacks after an extended period on the sidelines. New Zealand Cricket’s CEO Martin Snedden commented, however, that not even Chris Cairns and Dion Nash could take their Test places for granted over the likes of Daryl Tuffey and Chris Martin. Instead, the Black Caps’ pace bowling would use the four warm-up matches to compete for places in the starting XI to play Australia in the First Test.

Nash produced a promising performance in the Black Caps’ first warm-up, against a Queensland Second XI in Brisbane in mid October. He took 2/36 off 15 overs in the first innings, and captain Stephen Fleming described Nash as the pick of the bowlers. Jeff Crowe had commented before the game that Nash would hopefully be fit enough to play the following warm-up at Manuka Oval two days later. Nash did not play in Canberra, however; instead he shared twelfth-man duties and bowled in the nets each day. It was at Manuka Oval when Nash first noticed a slight abdominal strain. The niggle did not prevent him from playing the next warm up in Brisbane, but he sat out the following game. Nash "could have played at a pinch," said coach Dennis Aberhardt, but it was felt best to rest him, given that the tour selectors felt Nash had already done enough to justify his Test selection. Nash passed a fitness Test on the eve of the First Test in Brisbane and was named in the XI to play Australia.

New Zealand’s selectors took a gamble when selecting all of Cairns, Nash, Vettori and O’Connor to play the First Test. While those names gave the Black Caps, on paper, their "strongest possible side", all four were returning from major injuries and the skeptics questioned whether all four could possibly come through the Test unscathed. They were right to doubt, although it was Nash’s abdominal strain, rather than his infamous back, which fulfilled the pessimists’ prophesy. Nash aggravated his injury while diving full-stretch in the outfield on day two. The next day, he was ruled out the of remainder of the Test series with a torn abdominal muscle and did not bowl in the second innings. Once again, Nash was flying home; once again his Test comeback had lasted just one Test.

Although he had been disappointed yet again and was batting in obvious pain, however, Nash did not let his team down. His most significant contribution to the Test — which was to be his last — was his innings of 25 not out, which ensured New Zealand avoided the follow-on. Captain Stephen Fleming was obviously appreciative of what he termed a "courageous" innings. "He was in a lot of pain, but to do that is his nature," said Fleming. "I was rapt he got us past the follow-on, because I felt it could be a good game of cricket in the afternoon." In fact it was; the two captains set up a run-chase which saw the Black Caps get within ten runs of an improbable victory before the Test ended in a draw. "It was nice to finish the Test match with something positive and to give something to the team," Nash said simply.

It seems that just one Test had been enough to remind Nash of how much he loved playing Test cricket. Although disappointed, he spoke positively, confident that he would soon return to the Black Caps again. "It’s disappointing to leave another tour, especially this one," Nash said on his return to New Zealand. "It’s one I really wanted to be on. I probably wanted it too much in the end." Nash had the comfort of some good news as well, however. "It’s a shame to go home, but the good thing to come from it is that my back’s been great, it’s giving me no trouble and I’m feeling stronger and stronger every time I bowl." As far as his back was concerned, Nash was the most confident he had been for a long time. "If I can go home and get this muscle injury right, I can be confident that I can get a few seasons out of me yet," he said.

The suspension

Within a month, Nash was bowling again, and he rejoined the Auckland Aces for their State Championship match against Otago in Dunedin. Nash scored 118 runs in the first innings of that match, which Auckland won by 171 runs, and bowled 18 overs. Nash’s role with bat and ball was all but forgotten, however, when cited for on-field misbehaviour including unacceptable behaviour towards an umpire and unacceptable language towards a player. Nash received a 13-day suspension, placing his chances of selection for the one-day tri-series in Australia in grave doubt. New Zealand Cricket refused to appeal the decision; they were keen, said CEO Martin Snedden, to see an improvement in behaviour across all levels of cricket in New Zealand.

Ultimately, Nash was selected in the one-day squad, which was named the day after his suspension elapsed, but he later condemned the domestic ban. On the one hand, Nash felt that he had been unfairly subjected to an overly-harsh penalty because his high status made him an effective exemplar of the new behavioural code. "They used my profile to set an example and I feel I was treated a bit unfairly because of other things that went on after that," Nash said in April 2002. On the other hand, Nash claimed that the suspension caused his subsequent injury in Australia because it denied him the match practice he needed to be fully fit for the one-day series. "It has been very frustrating. Probably one of the most frustrating things was being suspended at a time when I should have been bowling," Nash said. "As it was, I was thrown in at the deep end in Australia while not perfectly fit. The suspension has turned out to be more than a simple three-week ban."

New Zealand Cricket maintained, however, that Nash had been treated in a just and even-handed manner. "He well and truly over-stepped the mark and NZC stands by its decision," was the response from John Reid, New Zealand Cricket’s development manager. For Nash to deny that he had a history of pushing the limits in terms of on-field aggression would stretch credibility. Nash had spoken many times of his ‘sledging’, and admitted that, while aggression was a vital part of his make-up as a cricketer, he often went too far. "It’s something that’s always been part of my game and I have to try and temper it at times," Nash had said in early 2000. "I think there are guys in the team just as competitive… maybe I’m just a little worse behaved. I enjoy that. It’s a fine line that you tread, but for me it’s a case of trying to get into the game and letting the guys know that I’m there — that I’m going to compete and I’m not going to give up." According to the man who once famously said "I put myself in a position where I’m ashamed to come off second-best", on-field verbalisation was a motivational technique, especially when used successfully to unsettle an opponent. "When you do carry on a bit like a pork shop you put yourself on the line. If you don’t front up, you look like a fool — and no-one wants to do that."

Former New Zealand paceman Danny Morrison presented a more balanced view in his opinion column following Nash’s suspension. There may have been very good reasons, he suggested, why Dion Nash ‘snapped’ during the Dunedin match. Morrison drew a parallel with his own suspension during his last First Class match, in 1997. His, said Morrison, was an out-of-character incident, brought on largely by the emotions he was feeling, having been dropped from the New Zealand side earlier in the year and knowing he was coming to the end of his career. Nash, having suffered yet another injury set-back to his much-disrupted career, had every right to be frustrated and emotional. But, Morrison argued, even the most sound reasons are irrelevant when it comes to a player’s on-field conduct and therefore the decision to penalise Nash was the right one. As Morrison wrote, "Dion Nash has always been known for his feisty, combative and competitive attitude. This is a real strength for him but has also caused him problems through his career. Hopefully this is another learning process — not only for Dion — but for all first class cricketers throughout NZ."

Due to his suspension, Nash played just one more match before departing for Australia, a one-day State Shield match against Otago in Alexandra, in which he took 1/45 off ten overs.

Swansong

It seems that Nash was not fully fit when he arrived in Australia in early January for the one-day tri-series. He took 3/20 Black Caps’ warm-up match against Australia A in Brisbane before suffering a groin strain. Although he could perhaps have returned earlier, a conservative approach was taken and Nash sat out the first half of the VB Series. He returned for a tour match in Bowral, where New Zealand humiliated an Australian Country XI by 249 runs. Nash scored 72 of them in aggressive style, even losing the ball in a stand of gum trees at one point. More importantly, he made a promising return to the bowling crease, taking 1/18 off 10 overs. When coach Dennis Aberhardt spoke to the press that afternoon, he made it clear that Nash had done enough to secure a place in the side for the Black Caps’ Australia Day showdown with the hosts in Adelaide.

When Nash did at last make his entrance in the VB Series, he bowled well and improved each game, leading to one of the finest spells of his one-day career. In Perth, Nash cut through the formidable South African top order with a brilliant opening spell of 3/20 off seven overs. Nash bowled with excellent line and length and achieved movement both ways. It was a text-book example of good pace bowling on the WACA wicket and incontrovertible proof of how effective Dion Nash could be. Nash’s form during the VB series was also evidence of how his bowling improved when fitness allowed him to string performances together, as he had shown most clearly during 1999. It seemed that Nash’s return would be a significant boost to a New Zealand side that had already performed well during the one-dayers in Australia and went on to qualify for the finals.

The glory did not last long however. The Black Caps lost the match in Perth and, in the course of the First Final on February 6, they lost Dion Nash. Ironically, it was a batting mishap rather than yet another back injury that ultimately concluded Dion Nash's cricket career. Nash stumbled while running hard to avoid being run-out at the MCG and suffered an abdominal strain which limited him to just one over when New Zealand fielded. Nash tried to open the bowling, but succeeded only in further aggravating his injury. He collected his cap, apologised to Stephen Fleming, and left the field. Though he travelled to Sydney with the Black Caps, he also missed the Second Final. The Black Caps lost the finals series 0-2 to South Africa and Nash appeared edgy and withdrawn during the series presentation at the SCG. It was to be the last time he wore his Black Caps shirt, emblazoned with ‘NASH 33’, on a cricket field.

Back in New Zealand two days later, Stephen Fleming told the press that Nash’s abdominal strain was not as bad as first thought and that he was expected to take some part in the one-day series against England that week. Nash did not play against England, however, and Auckland coach Tony Sail was continually revising the date when Nash might be fit enough to make an appearance with the Aces. He was also ruled out of the Tests against England. Then, in late March, it emerged in the media that the injury keeping Nash on the sidelines was not an abdominal strain as first thought, but a hip capsule injury. The injury, affecting the region where the femur attaches to the hip and also a number of nerves, was described as "quite serious" and Nash’s rehabilitation was being taken very slowly. New Zealand Cricket’s fitness advisor said that the recovery period would be lengthy and it was therefore too early to discuss a possible comeback date, but announced that Nash had been ruled out of New Zealand’s tour of the West Indies.

Nash spoke openly about his hip for the first time in mid-April. He stated that he was gradually recovering from the injury, and would have tests to ascertain the extent and nature of the injury. It was increasingly obvious, however, that Nash was seriously considering his future, and increasingly probable that he would announce his retirement. One key was the bitterness which Nash now seemed to display. It was first evident in an interview with Graeme Hill on Radio Sport, a retrospective which — by its nature — suggested that Nash’s career was at its end, and in which Nash spoke about cricket in terms which seemed, perhaps, disillusioned. Next, he attacked New Zealand Cricket over his domestic suspension, suggesting in the print media that the suspension had been partially responsible for his latest injury.

Then, on April 19, Nash gave an interview in which he explicitly stated the questions that were going through his mind. "I thought that at 30 I would have had a good career behind me," Nash said, sounding more bitter than he ever had about any of his previous injuries, "but there has been so much disruption, you often wonder whether it’s worth carrying on." Nash’s greatest concern seems to have been that he might put him through the gruelling rehabilitation process only to break down again. "I can bowl now, but I know things aren’t right and I have to know if it’s going to be trouble in the future," he explained. In the simplest terms, he was sick of it. "I’ve got to the stage now that if I see another physio I will just about blow up," Nash said. It was increasingly apparent that Dion Nash, having spent half his career on the comeback trail, had finally lost the motivation to try again.

Nash had other concerns as well. "There’s so much cricket being played, but you only earn a decent buck if you’re playing," he said. "That’s the catch-22 of playing international cricket. You risk the chance of injury by playing so much, but you’ve got to play to be paid." For years, journalists had joked about what Dion Nash, who once fronted an occupational health and safety campaign, must have cost in terms of accident insurance payouts. More relevant, perhaps, was the fact that Nash’s New Zealand Cricket contract expired in May 2002, beyond which point, presumably, he simply could not afford to spend his life pursuing yet another comeback. Nash allowed another insight into his state of mind when he remarked that he would be seeking other paid employment during the year. Nash stated that he had not made a decision on his career one way or the other, however, and would not do so until he had fully recovered from his hip injury. Rumours of his impending retirement, Nash said, were premature.

Ten days later, Nash received the results of the MRI scan on his hip. The scan revealed only swelling, and no bone chips or other problems with the hip. In theory, it was the type if injury from which Nash would recover in time. He was reserved when he spoke about the results on the radio, however, re-iterating that he would not make a final decision until he had recovered from the injury. Nash revealed afterwards, however, that the moment he saw the test results had been a turning point. "It was a surreal experience when I got the results of the scan because I knew that was it — that I didn't want to play any more," Nash said a few days later, but admitted that retirement was something he had been seriously considering for several months.

Retirement

Dion Nash announced his retirement from all cricket on 2 May 2002. Ironically, the ‘straw which broke the camel’s back’ was not the back injuries which had threatened Nash’s career for years, but a hip injury. The key factor was not so much that he could not have physically recovered from his hip problem but, Nash explained, that he no longer had the "100 percent" motivation required to do so. "The injuries have played a huge part in my decision to retire," Nash said in announcing his decision. "Getting over the injuries has taken so much energy, both physical and mental," he said. "Unfortunately I have come to the realisation that the motivation to overcome this latest injury is not as strong as it needs to be." Nash had realised it was time to move on. "It’s not just that this is one injury too many," he said, "It’s also the stage I'm at in my life. My motivation, self-discipline and dedication to fight back from injury have been waning, and I think it’s time to direct my energies elsewhere."

Nash summed up his own situation quite easily: "In the past it’s taken a lot of work and effort to get fit and this time I’ve had enough. I’ve had a good go at it," he said. Nash insisted that the decision to stop was not a sad one. "I’m really happy with it," he said. "I’ve known for a couple of months that it might be the case but I wanted to cover all my bases and make sure I made the decision when I was feeling fitter," he explained. Those words also explained Nash’s ambiguous position during the previous fortnight. Nash described the decision to retire as a relief. "I do feel relief," he said. "It’s all I’ve done since I was 13 or 14, and you tend to hold on to something like that for dear life. To let go is a huge relief and it’s an exciting time for me. Poignant and uncertain perhaps, but very exciting. It’s like, ‘Oh thank God. I don’t have to worry about it any more’." Some might have said that it was a relief long overdue.

Now he had finally made the decision to retire, Nash finally seemed to be at peace with his cricketing career. There was no longer any bitterness in his tone when he spoke of his decade in the game. "I feel I’ve had ten years in the sport and a few of them have been spent getting over injuries. But I have been very lucky. Cricket has been a fantastic vehicle for me to grow as a human being and to display the skills I have," he said after announcing his retirement. Without the burden of yet another comeback hanging over him, Nash was able to stand back a little from his cricketing career and focus on the positives. "I have had a fantastic career," he said. "I have travelled the world and met some great people. I have no regrets about anything I have faced, even the injuries have taught me some valuable lessons."

Although Nash had said just months earlier that he hoped to play "a few more seasons", the timing of his retirement in May 2002 does not seem to have caused too many regrets. He had already achieved many career goals. "I’d always wanted to play Australia in a test in Australia, and having finally done it sapped my desire to continue," Nash said, never mind that his role in the First Test was limited by yet another injury. One Test milestone Nash failed to reach was the 100 wicket / 1000 run double he had named as one of his career goals during 2000. Nash finished his Test career with 93 wickets and 729 runs in 32 Tests, just seven wickets short of becoming only the eleventh New Zealand bowler to take 100 Test wickets. Nash said he did regret being not being "a world class player at my best" and yet not able to "flatter" his statistics towards the end of his career. He never seems to have payed too much attention to numbers, however, often struggling to remember such basic details as the year when he took his famous 11 wickets at Lord’s.

When making his decision to retire, Nash said, he considered the possibility of continuing on to play the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, but ultimately he was concerned that he could go through the entire rehabilitation process again only to suffer another injury without reaching the World Cup. The hardest part of his decision not to go, says Nash, was telling his team-mates. "I spoke to them a few weeks ago and it was hard, trying to tell them that I wasn’t going to be there for the World Cup and that it was over," Nash said. In fact, Nash identified the task of breaking the news to fellow all-rounder Chris Cairns as the most difficult aspect of his decision to retire, especially as Nash seems to have made "a commitment" to Cairns, who was recovering from knee surgery, that they would both be there for the World Cup. Nash had indicated to his Black Caps team-mates a few weeks earlier that he would most likely be retiring, but did not inform Cairns until just before he made his public announcement. "Some of my best memories of playing for the Black Caps were bowling in tandem with Chris," Nash said, and singled-out the 1999 tour of England and the final Test at The Oval in particular, as the highlight of his cricketing career. Nash suggested that his one regret in leaving the game when he did was that he and Chris Cairns were not able to play together more often. "If there is one thing I am sad about, it is that we didn’t get to play together at the top of our games," Nash said two days after announcing his retirement. "If we had two or three years together we might have taken the game somewhere."

When all is said and done

Tributes to Dion Nash’s career and the contribution he had made to New Zealand Cricket began to flow from the moment he announced his retirement from the game.

New Zealand Cricket’s Chief Executive Officer, Martin Snedden, was quick to point out how much Nash would be missed my his team-mates and Black Caps supporters. "Dion has always given a 100 per cent effort. He is the ultimate competitor and motivated players around him. He is a talented player and a gifted leader and it is a great shame that injury prevented him from making a fuller contribution to international cricket," said Snedden.

Auckland Cricket’s CEO, Lindsay Crocker, spoke of the respect Nash commanded from all parties involved in the game. "Dion goes from the game with a respect from most of his team-mates, opposition players and officials that few can match. Long after the statistics become less important and memories of him playing fade, this respect will serve him well in future. That to me is the most important and lasting legacy of an impressive, if interrupted, career," he said.

Lynn McConnell emphasised Nash’s famous attitude, which set him apart from most: "His departure leaves New Zealand weaker in the ‘guts’ department because there was no-one who personified more the attributes and benefits of determination than the bowling all-rounder from Northland."

Still, there was a feeling that Nash had finished his cricketing career without fulfilling his potential, though not — as McConnell had suggested of Adam Parore, who had retired just a few weeks earlier — through any fault of his own, but because of the damage a seemingly-endless series on injuries had wrought on Nash’s career.

"A career that could have been so much better," was the epithet Richard Boock chose to describe Nash’s decade in international cricket. "Nash, considered one of the country's most intense competitors over the past decade," Boock wrote in The New Zealand Herald, "was also one of the unluckiest in terms of injury, and ended up missing more test matches (45) than he played (32)."

The day after Nash made his announcement, Black Caps coach Dennis Aberhardt said he hoped Nash’s attitude and experience would not be lost to the game following the all-rounder’s retirement. "He’s a real competitor, a great role model with how he got the best out of himself. He was very aggressive, he played it hard and he expected others to play the same way. He’s got a lot to offer young cricketers with his knowledge and experience. I hope he will share that with the younger guys."

Meanwhile, Dion Nash was looking forwards. "For me personally it’s the right thing, it’s the right time in my life to be moving on," Nash said following his retirement. His immediate plans include international travel with his fiancee, Bernice Mene, whom he intends to marry in February 2003, and finishing the house he is building on Waiheke Island. Next year, Nash will undertake a postgraduate diploma in mentoring by correspondence with Melbourne University. Beyond that, Nash is not sure what he will be doing in the future, but he is enthusiastic about the opportunities open to him, which may take him into the business world, or into a mentor-type role where he can pass on the enormous experience he has acquired from ten years of international cricket. Although Nash has hung up his Black Cap, he has not severed all ties with New Zealand cricket, and will be keeping in touch with the game through his role in the New Zealand Player’s Association, of which he became a founding representative in 2001. And Nash has not ruled out a role in mentoring or coaching, a few years down the track. Aberhardt may get his wish, in time.

*

It is a sad but thought-provoking statistic, to which Boock draws attention. Even during the second phase of his career, during which Nash played some of the best cricket of his life and was never dropped from the Test team, he missed a frightening number of games. Nash played 19 Tests between his first major comeback in January 1998 and his retirement in May 2002, including all 12 Tests during the 1999 calendar year, but missed 18 others through injury. Nash’s last two Tests were more than a year apart, and he was injured in both. Yet, when injury did permit Nash to play a consistent role in the New Zealand team, he played a vital role. Dion Nash’s injury-plagued career truly begs the question, what would he have achieved had injuries not played so profound a role? Conceivably, he could have played twice as many Tests by the time he retired and taken at least 200 wickets. If that were the case, and with Chris Cairns still on 197, Nash would have become the only New Zealand bowler other than Richard Hadlee to take 200 Test wickets.

The fact remains, however, that injury did not allow Nash even to come close. Instead, he announced his retirement from all cricket in May 2002, six months short of the 10-year anniversary of his international debut. Hopefully, Nash’s cricketing career can be remembered for what he did, rather than what injury, tragically, prevented him from doing. In 32 Tests he scored 729 runs and took 93 wickets, finishing frustratingly short of the 100-wicket milestone. In 81 One-Day Internationals he took 84 wickets and scored 624 runs. Dion Nash will be remembered for his all-round talent, his aggressive attitude, his leadership and, above all, for the fighting spirit which, time and again, enabled him to overcome adversity and achieve as much as he did for New Zealand Cricket.