Standing at the top of his mark before delivering the first ball of the innings, Jason Behrendorff says a quick prayer asking for help to do his very best.
One of Australian cricket’s rising stars, the left-arm paceman says his Christian faith is the backbone of his cricket success and of his life.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without my Christian faith, so it’s something I’m very grateful and thankful for,” he says. “It’s right at the top of my priorities.”
Raised in a Christian home in Canberra with his two younger siblings, Behrendorff says his faith reached a crossroads when he decided to move to Western Australia as a 19-year-old to pursue his cricketing dream.
“I didn’t really know all that many people… and it was my decision whether I go to church or not, and that’s where I really took it upon myself rather than just doing what was the norm with my family,” he explains.
“I’ve always had a reasonably strong faith, but once I moved across to Perth and it was actually my decision to go to church… I guess my faith started to expand and grow a bit more.
“Once I took it on more myself rather than just doing what my family was doing, I really started to understand a bit more about what it means to be a Christian, not just going to church on a Sunday.”
Growing up, Behrendorff played for Tuggeranong Valley in the ACT, representing the Territory in national carnivals on numerous occasions.
He says the decision to move to WA in 2009 was a difficult one, but ultimately one that had to be made if he was to play first-class cricket.
“It was actually really tough,” he recalls. “My family and I are all really close-knit and to move not just out of home, but also to move across the other side of the country was really quite tough, and it was certainly something that I struggled with a little bit at first.”
While he’s grown accustomed to being away from his family, Behrendorff says it’s been his Christian faith that has helped him overcome such challenges.
“[My faith] has really helped me in the fact that I know there’s a plan for my life and I know that if I keep trusting in God everything will continue to work out,” he says.
“I’m not saying that it’s going to be easy, but it’s definitely refreshing and good to know that there is a plan there and that you’re not just walking in the dark all the time.”
Part of the plan for Behrendorff’s life was to meet a young lady called Juvelle Hyatt, whom Behrendorff married in April.
Behrendorff says the couple has made daily prayer an important part of their life, and it’s something that he relies upon in other ways too.
“I’ve always got a conscious prayer the night before a game just to let me relax and focus and do what I do well,” he says.
“Before I bowl my first ball at the top of my mark at the start of the day, I’ll just say a little quick prayer about the day… before I run in and hopefully can take a lot of wickets that day.”
Behrendorff says while playing elite-level sport hasn’t challenged his faith, it’s not always easy to be a Christian in a largely non-Christian environment.
“It’s a tough thing to do at times with just the way sport and the cricketing culture and the Australian culture is,” he says.
“All my teammates know where I stand, my views, my faith and my opinions, and they all respect that, so that’s been another really good and positive thing for me, knowing that I’m not going to get ridiculed or brought down because of my beliefs and my faith.
“I certainly know that if it wasn’t the case then it might be a lot tougher and I still might not actually be able to do what I’m doing today.”
WA coach Justin Langer – a practising Catholic – says he’s been impressed with Behrendorff since the pair first met.
“I actually captained a Prime Minister’s XI game in 2009 and he played as an 18-year-old from Canberra and I recognised his talent then,” Langer says.
“He’s one of the most improved cricketers in Australia. The way he’s gone from a skinny little kid to now being a really outstanding athlete who’s getting stronger and stronger; and his ability to bowl in all forms of the game… his improvement’s been immense.”
The former Australian opener says Behrendorff is the epitome of the type of young man he’d love to have in his team.
“In West Australian cricket, we’re very values-driven, and he’s certainly one of those guys who upholds those values,” Langer says.
“He’s a lovely guy, he works very, very hard on his cricket and he’s an outstanding young person.
“One of my objectives when I took over the coaching role in Western Australia was to take our guys from the front pages to the back page… so to have guys who have good values and make good choices, that’s a great help as a coach.”
Behrendorff’s domestic form has been superb over the past 18 months, and he is hopeful that consistent good performance will be rewarded with a national call-up in the near future.
“Hopefully there’s some higher honours not too far around the corner if I continue to do the right things,” he says.
“The ultimate goal for me is to wear that baggy green, so I’m forever working hard to do everything I can to achieve that goal.”
But the young fast bowler is quick to recognise that the only way he can achieve his goal is to trust in God.
“The big thing for me has been trusting in what I know and in myself and also knowing that there’s a plan for my life,” he says.
“I’ve got to continue to work as hard as I can at what I do to fulfill that plan and I don’t know exactly what that plan is and where it will end up, but I know that if I keep working hard and I keep trusting in God that I’ll do everything I can to fulfill that.”
– Article courtesy Catholic Life Newspaper, Canberra