Did you feel like you were a Thai boy playing cricket or a Cheltenham boy playing cricket?

At first I felt like a Thai boy playing but after a few years playing ‘schoolboy’ cricket, they basically bring it out of you to be a Cheltenham boy  playing cricket. You represent the school. You’re not a Thai or Indian but a Cheltonian playing cricket.

The Cheltenham College 1st XI, 2002

At that time did you have any heroes?

I actually was an Indian supporter- mainly because of Sachin Tendulkar. I just wanted to bat like him. The runs he scored and the way he scored them just made it look so easy and then you look at everyone else – he’s just a complete class apart. I’ve always wanted to bat like that.

So do you also work the ball off from middle to leg?

Not early on but I did only once my confidence grew after scoring a couple of runs.

What about your GCSE exams? How did you do?

I did average because I was more concentrated on my cricket. In winter, I went abroad and played in Western Australia at Mike Hussey’s first team, Wanneroo District Cricket Club. I went over to an academy and they were the ones who sent me to the club. Wanneroo won the local one-day and two-day competitions that year.

How did you balance going to Australia in the winters?

I only went in one year. It was during my school break but I can’t remember missing out on school. I was away for four months and then I changed to Malvern College before my GCSEs.

Batting for Wanneroo in 2002

Was Australian cricket tougher than the English cricket?

Yes, it was much tougher. It was so much more intense.

When you were at school, did you play weekend matches at school or were you playing matches with your dad’s team?

When I was captain in the junior school, I stayed with the weekend school games but as I got older I began playing a much higher standard. So my dad and my coach, Mushtaq Mohammad, told me I had go out and play premier league cricket if I was going to improve as a cricketer. Private schools had classes on Saturday therefore I had to get a sick note in order to go out and play the games.

Did you ever encounter racism at school or cricket?

Well yes, in school, endless. I’ve even ended up in the hospital as well. It was a constant thing and I was in tears on the phone with my dad telling him about it. I don’t really know about the other Thai boys because I hardly ever spoke to them and since I was in the day house and they were boarders I hardly got to see them.

What happened to your cricket?

I was playing for Gloucester 2nd XI, just one rung below country first-class cricket. I debuted when I was 18. There were two other boys from my school who were playing for Worcester. One of them’s now signed a four-year contract with Worcestershire C.C. I performed well and always put up 30s or 40s on the board and I kept wicket as well. The regular 2nd XI wicket-keeper was retiring and thought if I stopped bowling I could play more because I thought that if I was a keeper-batsman I would get a contract. They soon give me a contract but it was for just half the season where I was given cash in hand but not really a wage.

Were there any other Asians or Thais playing cricket for the county squads there?

There was actually an Omani who was contracted. We were in the academy at the same time. Probably if I had stayed we’d have played cricket together but I came back to Thailand and he stayed there.

Who was the best batsman in county cricket when you were there?

I think it was Ian Bell. He was playing at Warwickshire. When I was in Australia, he was there and he was an overseas player for UWA (University of Western Australia.).

What happened after your first season in county cricket?

I played for only one season and since they had to pay for the overseas player they began cutting back on the players that they were paying and I was a fringe player. They decided to bring in the school-boys. After that year I went to Northants where I met Monty Panesar and Mike Hussey. I tried getting a contract but I could only get into the academy and into the 2nd XI there.

Next Page | What was it like playing with Monty and Hussey?