Are You Ready?

Over the course of four weeks, I followed the Australian Cricket team around the country. The famous rivalry between Australia and England—fighting for the Ashes—was the stuff of folklore in my family. And while I wouldn’t have considered myself a true cricket tragic (despite what this endeavour might have suggested), I felt incredibly grateful to share the experience with my husband and Dad, and to help him tick this dream off his bucket list.

The series was filled with unexpected moments. Last-minute team changes opened doors for players who had long been waiting in the wings, hoping for their chance to shine.

In Sydney, a batsman close to my heart—Usman Khawaja, who shares my birthday and plays for Queensland—got that chance. After being out of the test side for more than two years and just turning 35, it had seemed unlikely he’d bat for Australia again… and then, he got the call-up. He came out at number five in the SCG Test and played exactly the game the team needed. He thrilled the crowd with a stunning 137. You could feel the energy build as he neared a century—the whole stadium was behind him. And his celebration? Only rivalled by the crowd’s. One very happy Aussie indeed.

In the second innings, he backed it up with an unbeaten 101, and the Australian public was elated to witness it.

In an interview afterward, ever the humble batsman, he said that despite the performance, it was unlikely he’d be chosen for the next test. I felt outraged. We needed to pick the best players, and he had been leagues above any other batsman I’d seen all series. It wouldn’t have been fair if he didn’t get picked—especially after back-to-back centuries. But what struck me most was what he said next: “I’ll just be ready. When the Aussie cricket team needs me, I’ll be ready.”

If we had talent of that calibre simply waiting and ready, what did that say about the depth of the team?

More importantly, what could we learn about being ready? Some of us liked to think we were born ready—but were we really? Were we as ready as Usman Khawaja had been that day? That level of readiness was what I came to aspire to. Because if I was that ready, there was no way I could fail. And that was exactly what I encouraged in my coaching clients—being supremely ready for your next opportunity.