Paul Hoffmann: Retirement needn't be tough

Knowing Colin “Floppy” Smith like I do, I reckon he’ll find his Scotland retirement tough. He’s still fit enough to play a few more years, but there comes a time when you know that deep down you have to make way for the next generation. Knowing that he still has the physical abilities to continue playing will irk him and he’ll miss the buzz of big match days and dressing room banter.

I didn’t find retirement from Scotland tough. A bad day at the office at New Road against Solanki in 2007 was enough for me to stand back and say, that’s it. I didn’t get to Worcester until around 1am the previous night and was up for team breakfast at 7 only to get hammered on the field and then drive back to Glasgow for work the next day. That was a common theme during my 4 years playing the Counties and I just didn’t have the energy anymore to juggle full time work with a heavy cricket schedule.

During my last couple of years with Scotland I found that on the odd occasion I wasn’t doing myself justice with the ball. At times I felt drained and my body wouldn’t respond how I would like. In my last couple of years, I rarely bowled in the nets, unless I took anti-inflammatory pills. I was taking far too many of these pills just to get myself fit for play, which wasn’t right.
 
Apart from the odd back spasm, Floppy was as fit as any of the players in the squad. He set high standards for himself and would never cut corners. If Scotland were to pick the best team right now, he would still be the keeper and knowing that will make him a frustrated ex-player, for a while anyway.

Craig Wright also made the decision to retire recently and I’m guessing that it’ll be partly due to the same reasons that I gave up. As the World Cup qualifiers showed, he can still do a job with the ball, but his body will be telling him to pack it in. Over the last few years, Wrighty was always raiding the physio’s medicine bag for anti-inflammatories. His energy will now be focused on coaching the Scotland Under 19’s and overseeing the regional academies. He probably hasn’t had time yet to reflect on a great career.

Wrighty and Floppy are both close friends of mine and great servants of the game for Scotland. Given their stats, history will treat them well. Floppy was an excellent keeper, especially standing up over the stumps. For a big man, his reflexes and agility were incredible. As a bowler, Wrighty never gave batsmen anything to work with and always seemed to make that vital breakthrough.

I remember a game against Surrey at Grange a few years back. I had bowled a decent first spell with the new ball but just couldn’t take a wicket. Wrighty came on and had Mark Ramprakash trapped LBW within a couple of balls. I said to Floppy at the time, “How does he do it?” Floppy just said, “He bowls straight Hoffy.” Special players just have that knack of making things happen.

My best memories of these two Scotland greats are not on the field, but off it. Just the time spent together on tours, the banter and the bond that you build when you’re away from home for long periods. They both appreciated off the cuff humour or stupidity. I would often do something random just to hear their unique laughs. Floppy laughs louder than anyone I have known and Wrighty has that funny type of laugh that is interrupted by snorts.

Over the next few months they’ll spend moments alone to reminisce on wonderful careers, but they can be proud of their contribution to cricket in Scotland. When you hang up your boots, it helps to have an alternative career to and a supportive family, but cricket retirement should be about reflecting on your achievements and if time allows, doing what you can to help the next generation achieve the same standards that you had set.

If the new generation train hard, set themselves high standards and play to their strengths, then success will never be far away. If the new generation can also stay patient and focused during the difficult times, they will have the same attributes that served Floppy and Wrighty so well. You can’t ask for a better starting base than that.