London: Jason Behrendorff and wife Juvelle have had baby son Harrison sleeping in a separate room on tour so the Western Australian fast bowler can get plenty of shut eye. But after he emerged as a surprise hero of Australia's 64-run win over England on Wednesday, there was a fair chance all would be in for a late night recalling the day's stunning events.
Behrendorff's parents were also in the Lord's stands as the left-arm quick ensured his name would be inked on the new honour board for centuries and five-wicket hauls in one-day internationals.
Jason Behrendorff acknowledges the crowd at Lord's.Credit:AP
"It was great to have the family here," he said after dealing with the biggest media pack he has seen in his career.
Behrendorff said before this tour began that it had been tough to have spent so much time away from his young family, through the Indian Premier League and then ODI tours of India and the United Arab Emirates. Now re-united in London, on such a grand day, the time spent apart was clearly worth it.
Advertisement
This was as special as it gets for Behrendorff, 29, who had only come in for his second match of the tournament. It was his maiden appearance at the home of cricket, and he had only eight wickets in seven ODIs before this.
"It's something I'll treasure for sure. Again … you don't play cricket for the accolades but, to play at Lord's, and to take five today, was really special," he said.
Behrendorff still remains something of an unknown figure in Australian cricket, and may not have even been here had it not been for injuries to Jhye Richardson and Josh Hazlewood. But it was a position he deserved, having capped a bold decision to specialise only in white-ball cricket last summer in a bid to avoid a repeat of the back stress fractures that had derailed what looked to be a career that would include Test honours.
"Some days, especially during all the rehab periods, you think: 'Am I going to get back? Am I going to be able to get out there and play for my country?'
"It's one of those things you dream of as a kid to play cricket for Australia. Then to come here and play at Lord's, my first time here, I trained here the other day, and my first game here, so yeah, it was something special."
In some ways, it also validates the move Behrendorff made from Canberra to WA as a youngster in a bid to forge an international career. He remains as affable a character now as he did then, always willing to stop for a chat and ask about others and life outside the cricketing bubble.
"He's fairly quiet. But when he speaks, it's all sense. He's come into the group really nicely," Starc said.
"He hasn't played a heap of cricket for Australia but, when he has, he's bowled those good balls and come up with those good spells. He's continuing to learn and develop as a bowler and he's done a good job again."
Starc said Behrendorff had been unsure how to handle the conditions at Lord's, where he was even awarded the opening over, coming up the famed slope. He had been earmarked to play against England, and had replaced Nathan Coulter-Nile.
"To be honest, I didn't have much for him because I haven't played here for about four years. Apart from the slope of the wicket, it was about learning how England bowled to us in the first innings, how our boys played it as well," Starc said.
"As a bowling group, we all wanted to bowl a bit fuller and make them drive the ball. I think we did that really well. If you look at the numbers, we definitely bowled fuller than their bowlers."
Behrendorff said it had been a "huge" honour to take the new ball – a role he is likely to have against New Zealand, again at Lord's, on Saturday.
London: Jason Behrendorff and wife Juvelle have had baby son Harrison sleeping in a separate room on tour so the Western Australian fast bowler can get plenty of shut eye. But after he emerged as a surprise hero of Australia's 64-run win over England on Wednesday, there was a fair chance all would be in for a late night recalling the day's stunning events.
Behrendorff's parents were also in the Lord's stands as the left-arm quick ensured his name would be inked on the new honour board for centuries and five-wicket hauls in one-day internationals.
Jason Behrendorff acknowledges the crowd at Lord's.Credit:AP
"It was great to have the family here," he said after dealing with the biggest media pack he has seen in his career.
Behrendorff said before this tour began that it had been tough to have spent so much time away from his young family, through the Indian Premier League and then ODI tours of India and the United Arab Emirates. Now re-united in London, on such a grand day, the time spent apart was clearly worth it.
Advertisement
This was as special as it gets for Behrendorff, 29, who had only come in for his second match of the tournament. It was his maiden appearance at the home of cricket, and he had only eight wickets in seven ODIs before this.
"It's something I'll treasure for sure. Again … you don't play cricket for the accolades but, to play at Lord's, and to take five today, was really special," he said.
Behrendorff still remains something of an unknown figure in Australian cricket, and may not have even been here had it not been for injuries to Jhye Richardson and Josh Hazlewood. But it was a position he deserved, having capped a bold decision to specialise only in white-ball cricket last summer in a bid to avoid a repeat of the back stress fractures that had derailed what looked to be a career that would include Test honours.
"Some days, especially during all the rehab periods, you think: 'Am I going to get back? Am I going to be able to get out there and play for my country?'
"It's one of those things you dream of as a kid to play cricket for Australia. Then to come here and play at Lord's, my first time here, I trained here the other day, and my first game here, so yeah, it was something special."
In some ways, it also validates the move Behrendorff made from Canberra to WA as a youngster in a bid to forge an international career. He remains as affable a character now as he did then, always willing to stop for a chat and ask about others and life outside the cricketing bubble.
"He's fairly quiet. But when he speaks, it's all sense. He's come into the group really nicely," Starc said.
"He hasn't played a heap of cricket for Australia but, when he has, he's bowled those good balls and come up with those good spells. He's continuing to learn and develop as a bowler and he's done a good job again."
Starc said Behrendorff had been unsure how to handle the conditions at Lord's, where he was even awarded the opening over, coming up the famed slope. He had been earmarked to play against England, and had replaced Nathan Coulter-Nile.
"To be honest, I didn't have much for him because I haven't played here for about four years. Apart from the slope of the wicket, it was about learning how England bowled to us in the first innings, how our boys played it as well," Starc said.
"As a bowling group, we all wanted to bowl a bit fuller and make them drive the ball. I think we did that really well. If you look at the numbers, we definitely bowled fuller than their bowlers."
Behrendorff said it had been a "huge" honour to take the new ball – a role he is likely to have against New Zealand, again at Lord's, on Saturday.
