South Africa vice-captain Ashwell Prince could have excelled at soccer instead of cricket given his belief that he has the temperament of Paul Scholes and the pace of Michael Owen.
Prince (31) who scored centuries in the first two Tests against England, will take part in the third Test at Edgbaston starting on Wednesday believing his team can claim their first series win in the home of cricket since 1965.
He has made Test hundreds against every nation apart from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, is ranked just outside the world’s top 10, yet remains relatively anonymous off the field.
Prince is a staunch team man whose batting is motivated by the team’s cause rather than personal accolades. He seems happy to let his teammates grab the headlines and his quiet lifestyle means he often bypasses the media glare.
”I am a private person and if I am not that well known it’s not because I am doing anything to keep it that way,” Prince told Reuters in an interview, seemingly taken aback that he was not better known after playing 43 Tests with nine centuries.
”I try to stick to a family lifestyle and I’m not one to go out much. I will go out for dinner with my wife and my baby (five-month-old son Joshua). That’s the type of life I lead. When I’m home I spend more time with family and friends than nightclubs.
”It’s a quiet life and if you would compare it to anybody in football I would probably be like [Manchester United and former England player] Paul Scholes. A lot has been said about how quiet he is but he is a very family-orientated type of guy and I am a similar person.”
Prince, a determined left-handed batsman, once considered a career in soccer.
He remains a fanatical supporter of Liverpool, from the days of John Barnes and Peter Beardsley at Anfield, and dreams this coming season will be the one that captain Steven Gerrard raises aloft the Premiership trophy for the first time.
”I used to play a lot of football when I was younger and I like to think that I was a decent player but growing up in Port Elizabeth there wasn’t any professional clubs really so I couldn’t pursue a career in that,” Prince explained. ”Maybe if I had grown up in England it would have been different.
Owen speed
”I think I was pretty useful. I was a striker in the style of [England striker] Michael Owen, not all that skilful but I was quick. Not like now, that I am the wrong side of 30.”
Prince, who also enjoyed tennis and athletics at school, was encouraged to play cricket rather than pushed into it by his parents. His father was an administrator with oil company Shell and his mother worked at a pharmacy.
He usually scores runs when they are most needed.
His innings of 101 at Lord’s in the first Test was an innings that could not prevent the follow-on but consumed enough time in the game to eventually allow South Africa to force a draw. His 149 at Headingley was made after he came in at 76 for three when an early dismissal might have led to a result other than a South Africa win, which put them 1-0 up in the four-match series.
He readily admits he is at his best when there is more to play for, hence his average of 10 against lowly-ranked Bangladesh against his overall average of 43.
”It’s probably a weakness that I am not always that switched on when I am playing against a team like Bangladesh,” Prince said. ”I have often found myself coming in against Bangladesh when we have 400 on the board and just before we declare.
”When I come in feeling that my contribution won’t mean a lot to the team I end up losing my wicket. Coming in when we are 40 or 50 for three means a lot more if you put runs on the board, it feels more rewarding.”
Typically, the modest and workmanlike Prince is not yet ready to accept the plaudits for his batting on this trip as he feels there is still work to do.
”I’m feeling very good, it’s great to have two hundreds behind my back, but the job is not done yet,” he said. ”There are still two matches left and we will be going all out to clinch the series.” – Reuters