It would be naive to think Tom Maynard's is an isolated case
If there is one positive to come out of this it is thatyoung players realise the dangers associated with taking drugs and systems areput in place in county dressing rooms to nip this kind of thing in the budbecause we have seen with Maynard how something which seems harmless and a bitof fun can spiral out of control.
There are around 400 professional cricketers in England. Itwould be naive to think Tom’s is an isolated case. There are bound to be morewho have taken drugs in the past or are still doing it now.
We are never going to have a clean game because of thestresses the players live under. They are young men and need a release but youhave to hope Maynard’s death has acted as a wake-up call.
The England and Wales Cricket Board is going to introducemore testing for recreational drugs and that will frighten a few to clean uptheir act.
The Professional Cricketers’ Association will also work oneducating players and this week is holding a seminar with academy players whichwill address lifestyle choices. But testing and education can only go so far.County dressing rooms need their own form of self-regulation led by seniorplayers.
You need mature personalities in dressing rooms. Players whocan spot the night owls and keep them out of trouble. It worries me that thisdid not happen at Surrey. There will be a few people at the club close to Tomwho will now have regrets. They may have seen him in situations when he was notbehaving the way you expect and a few will be wishing they had spoken out.
This is where role models are important. They do not have tobe experienced players. Alastair Cook was behaving like a role model at 22.
Joe Root is similar now. But the experienced players are theones who can spot something before it starts. A dressing room needs matureplayers who do the right things, play hard and know the boundaries you do notcross.
There was a lack of those players at Surrey 12 months agobut next summer they will have Ricky Ponting and Graeme Smith. Two men who areexactly the right kind of role models for young kids making their way incricket.
I was brought up in county cricket in the 1990s. AtYorkshire we trained hard but there was a drinking culture. Seven pints thenight before a Sunday League match was not uncommon. But I never once heardcocaine mentioned. I do not know of it ever being offered.
But cricket reflects society and times have changed. Thedrinking culture has largely gone. Power and speed is everything these days andyou cannot drink seven pints and stay sharp.
But young county players now have a lot more money and if weare going to put 22-year-olds on six-figure salaries, which is happening incounty cricket now, we have to be aware it comes with new dangers.
There are plenty of distractions and opportunities to takeon a different lifestyle, particularly for those playing in London. Tom gothimself mixed up with the wrong world.
I feel for his family. Tom was a great kid. Not one person Ihave spoken to has a bad word to say about him. We heard in court yesterday howhe was described as a warm, fun personality always looking out for others.
He lost his life in the most tragic circumstances and I fearTom’s memory will always be linked to drugs. I hope people realise he was agood kid who lost a bright future.
I do not believe there is a big drug culture in cricket. Andthe drinking of my early days has largely gone now. The game is moreprofessional. Fitness, power and speed are everything.
Most dressing rooms manage to police themselves but we havehad an awful reminder of what can happen when these barriers are not in place.
You do not want tostop young players having fun and make them live like nuns but lessons have tobe learnt from what happened to Tom.