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With the spotlight of the cricketing world on him, Nathan Ellis delivered a crucial victory for the Punjab Kings in the 2021 VIVO Indian Premier League by keeping his cool under pressure.
As the 26-year-old celebrated with his new team and soaked up the praise, he must have thought about how far he had come in his cricketing career and how, not too long ago, he was on the verge of giving it all up and saying goodbye to the sport he has loved since he was a child.
"When I was 22, I uprooted my life in New South Wales to chase a cricketing dream in Tasmania. When I first moved out of my parents' house, I didn't have a contract, and there were a lot of costs associated with that," Nathan Ellis told everyone in an exclusive interview.
"To make ends meet at the time, I worked five or six jobs," said Ellis.
Initially, Nathan Ellis did some landscaping work, but he had to stop since his employer insisted on having him work on Saturdays—the day Ellis's favourite sport, cricket, was broadcast.
"When my time spent helping move and construct furniture began to interfere with my soccer practice, I had to stop. I also did some construction work, but it was physically demanding, and I had to stop doing it," added Ellis.
Then, luckily, Nathan Ellis landed a position as a teacher's aide at a high school that didn't conflict with his match days. The young Australian seamer was subjected to gruelling schedules and early mornings throughout his twenties. Ellis had to get up at 6 a.m. to get in his workouts before work, and he had to strategically plan his work schedule around his training with the Tasmanian team reserves.
The seamer reflected on when he worked nonstop for days while maintaining regular gym and net routines.
When he thinks about it now, he has no idea how he pulled it all off. During that period, he worked several different shifts and was fired from several jobs. Ellis says, "It was hard, but now I view it as a great chance."
Do you know about this Nathan Ellis news? Nathan Ellis did the work but needed to improve for the Tasmanian team. He admitted that this setback caused him to question whether or not he wanted to be a professional cricketer at the time.
The 26-year-old claimed, "After two years of cricket in Tasmania, where I had excelled at the grade level, I still hadn't made the state squad."
He continued, "Due to my inability to achieve financial security or career progress, I chose to move on."
However, one phone call from then-Tasmania coach Adam Griffith convinced Nathan Ellis to return for a second season. The former Australian cricketer had Ellis practise with the Tasmanian team during the pre-season, promising him a spot on the state team if he did well.
He told Griffith that he couldn't stay for a second season. He has zero income. But Adam persuaded him, and Ellis figured, "What the heck, I'll give it another year! And that year ended up being my breakthrough year. After that, things moved rapidly, with my call up to Tasmania and the Big Bash deal," Nathan Ellis recalls.
Nathan Ellis grabbed those chances and hasn't let go since, finishing as the Big Bash League's leading wicket-taker for the Hobart Hurricanes. Ellis's first call-up with the Australian national team followed, and what happened after that was an unforgettable debut in Twenty20 Internationals.
"Posing the scenario where I didn't spend an extra year in Tasmania is fun. I had everything I would need in my bag for the trip back. So now that I'm looking back, I'm like, wow!" Ellis's satisfied grin widened as he summarised his newfound optimism in his choice.
FAQs
When did Nathan Ellis make his ODI debut?
On March 29th, 2022, he made his One-Day International debut for Australia, taking on Pakistan. Ellis signed with the Hampshire Hawks in March 2022 for the 2022 English Vitality Blast season.
What was the price of Ellis in IPL 2023?
For the sum of Rs 75 lakhs, the Punjab franchise secured the services of Nathan Ellis at the IPL Auction 2023.
What are some records of Nathan Eliis?
Nathan created history by becoming the first cricketer to take a hat-trick in his debut T20I match.
