AMONG a host of highlights from his month-long tour of Sri Lanka, Trent Copeland pointed to two moments in particular which he won’t forget in a hurry.
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Aside from picking up his first Test wicket for Australia at Galle, the Bathurst quick said that the experience of his younger brother Ryan Peacock is something which is etched in his memory.
“Ryan actually came into the change rooms with me at Pallekelle during the second Test,” Copeland said.
“The other guys in the team were so lovely. Brad Haddin (pictured) was about to get rid of a pair of his cricket shoes and instead gave them to Ryan.
“Phil Hughes had been hit on the head in the first Test and he was getting rid of his helmet. In the end he decided to give it to Ryan, and got all the team to sign it for him.
“Afterwards I went out of the room with Ryan and just said to him ‘When I was your age I would have given an arm and a leg to do what you just did.’
“It was a dream come true for him, as it was for me to be playing alongside some blokes who have been heroes of mine.”
Having his mum Fiona and step-dad Steve Peacock in Sri Lanka, as well as his brother, aunty and fiancee Kim Green in itself was a tour highlight for Copeland, but he also found time to revel in one of his team-mate’s success too.
The other thing that sticks out was when Shaun Marsh was presented with his baggy green cap by his dad [former Test batsman Geoff],” he said.
“To hear him tell Shaun what it meant to him to play for Australia and to see his son do the same, and then for him to go out and hit a century on debut just sends shivers up your spine.”
The challenge for Copeland now that the honeymoon is over is to keep a hold on his spot for the two-Test tour departing for South Africa in six weeks.
The general consensus in the media is that he has more than done enough to earn a spot on the plane, but retaining his spot in the playing XI will be tough with Ryan Harris to come back into the side.
He sat out the third Test in Sri Lanka with a knee injury and his replacement Peter Siddle took four wickets in what was his only opportunity of the series.
Copeland himself took six wickets at just over 37.
“I have always been of the mentality that I’ll never ever count my chickens before they hatch, so I won’t be taking it for granted that I’m going,” he said.
“I’m playing grade cricket between now and then and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure I’m ready and give myself the best chance of getting picked.
“Ryan Harris did an amazing job in the first two Tests and Sids came into the last game and bowled very well for his four wickets. And as Pup [skipper Michael Clarke] said to the press the other day, Mitchell Johnson is a match-winner.
“Australian cricket isn’t about also-rans getting a go, you have to be doing your job to earn a shot and I have to make sure I keep doing mine.”
With virtually the entirety of the Bathurst community following Copeland’s every move during the tour to Sri Lanka, he gratefully extended his thanks for the plentiful messages of support.
“It is so nice that people have supported me, it is lovely to get messages from mates back home, guys I played cricket with or went to school with,” he said.
“People have bumped into my mum in the street and passed on congratulations and that sort of thing, I want them to know that the messages get back to me and I couldn’t be more appreciative of all the support.”