Part-time carpenter Ben Laughlin is resisting the lure of Twenty20’s riches to keep alive his dream of playing more formats of cricket.
The 30-year-old death bowler has fought his way back into Australia’s T20 side after topping the Big Bash League wicket-taker’s list but refuses to label himself a short-form specialist.
“Obviously the money’s there so it is an attractive thing but I really enjoy my one-day cricket and being around a team in the domestic competition,” he told reporters in Hobart on Monday.
“If you do go that Twenty20 route that all disappears pretty quickly.
“I’ve tended to mould my one-day cricket into my Twenty20 stuff as well so I tend to bowl similar in all formats these days.”
Laughlin played five ODIs, for five wickets, and a solitary T20 international for Australia in 2009.
He says he understands his role better this time around.
“I was pretty raw, old but raw, a few years ago,” he said.
“I haven’t changed too much, just probably understand what to bowl at certain times a bit better.”
Like many players before him, Laughlin resurrected his career in Tasmania after previously being cut by Queensland.
Without that move, he says, he’d be a full-time carpenter by now.
“I’d be on the tools, that’s where I’d be right now,” he said.
“I’ve actually got to go on the tools after this (press conference).
“Cricket’s cricket and it’s great to get paid to do what you do but there’s always normal life once that’s done.
“I still try to do a bit of carpentry stuff here and there to keep the body ticking over.”
Australian T20 captain George Bailey said his Hobart Hurricanes teammate filled a skills void in the national side with his tricky-to-read slower balls.
“He really nailed his skills this year and in particular the skills that he has bowling at the death,” Bailey said.
“I think that’s something that we haven’t quite nailed as a team and an area that we really challenge our bowlers around the country to improve on.”
Laughlin has another take on his preference for the slow ball.
“I might even be an off spinner in the four-day game one of these days, you never know,” he said.