'It was my own personal demons' - Michael Bevan on why he couldn't make it big in Test cricket

Former Australia cricketer Michael Bevan was a legend in One Day format having an average of 53.6 in 232 games. However, the batsman couldn’t replicate the same in the purest format of the game as he featured in just 18 Tests scoring 785 at a mere average of 29.1. There have been many theories on why Bevan couldn’t perform in Tests.

The left-hander, who played his last professional game in 2006, reflected on his Test career. Bevan had an explosive debut in the longest format as playing against one of the best bowlers of Pakistan, Wasim Akram, and Waqar Younis, he averaged over 60. But ended his Test career with an average of 29.1 after playing only 18 matches in the format.

The southpaw, however, reckons that it was his own personal demons that stopped him from making it big in the lonest format of the sport. He also reckoned that all the good work done in his debut series was undone in the next series against England at home.

“But look, I’ve been described as an enigma, a tortured genius, people can’t work out why I performed so well in one-day cricket and not Test cricket, why I performed well at first-class cricket and not Test cricket, and I suppose it was my own personal demons.

“All the good work in my first Test series became undone in my second Test series against England in Australia against an inferior bowling attack. I think I averaged about 10 or 15 and it really wasn’t apparent to me why that had happened at that time,” Bevan told The Grade Cricketer.

My performances in FC cricket were pretty solid, says Michael Bevan

There was a popular opinion back then that Michael Bevan couldn’t survive in the purest format of the game due to his inability of facing short balls. However, the left-hander ruled out that possibility saying that he had faced an ample amount of short balls while playing in the domestic circuit and has stunning records to his name.

“It was a ball that meant different things and held different perceptions in Test cricket as opposed to first-class cricket. A lot of people don’t realise, they actually have short balls in first-class cricket and they are allowed to bowl a couple of those an over, and yet my performances in first-class cricket were pretty solid. It was a weird thing for me.

“It happened in a time when I was new to the Australian team. I guess you could categorise it as similar to a bowler getting the yips, maybe. It happened in Test cricket for me and I made too much of an issue of it. It was never really an issue, but then I never really got over it either. It was something that affected me throughout my career,” Bevan added.