"Painting is like a drug" - Jack Russell, an artist behind the stumps and beyond [Exclusive]
Ask an ardent cricket fan of the 1980-90s about Jack Russell. A sight of marvel on his/her face ought to pop up to nobody's surprise!
Robert Charles Russell - Jack as he's popularly known - was a crowd favorite during his playing days, having represented England in 54 Tests and 40 ODIs as their primary wicketkeeper.
Oh my, his wicketkeeping...
Standing up to the stumps to medium pacers, swiftly moving down the leg side and nonchalantly whipping out the bails before raucous cheers from the crowd followed - that's the aura Jack Russell carried. An aura that bamboozled Dean Jones at the Sydney Cricket Ground when he was stumped by this genius off a Gladstone Small delivery that was trickling down the leg side. He epitomized the word 'swag' way before it became a part of mainstream usage.
One must not forget how handy he was with the bat too. His 235-ball vigil to save England a Test at the Wanderers against South Africa is etched in cricketing folklore. He also had two hundreds to his name in Test cricket and an average of 27.10 was certainly not shabby at a time when the designation of a wicketkeeper-batter was primarily centered around his glove-work.
Marrying his swagger with a floppy hat and a handlebar mustache made Russell the ultimate cult hero of his time. He was an artist behind the stumps. Perhaps something that explains why he has always taken to art in a literal sense - long after hanging up his gloves, he has turned to art professionally and continues to enjoy it to the fullest.
He has often been spotted at cricket grounds, patiently going about his work with a paintbrush and canvas at his disposal. He has taken up coaching assignments post his playing days but as of today, art and paintings are his calling. His social media profiles are embraced with his celebration of art and he continues to run a popular gallery in South Gloucestershire.
Russell celebrates his 61st birthday on Thursday, August 15. It would come to nobody's surprise if he were to spend his day doing what he loves most - adding to his decorated gallery.
Sportskeeda recently had the pleasure of catching up with Russell for an exclusive chat. From his playing days that he looks back on fondly, his idols Alan Knott and Bob Taylor, how much has wicket-keeping changed and his love for art, read it in his own words.
Excerpts from Jack Russell's exclusive chat with Sportskeeda
Q. Visuals of Jack Russell with a handlebar mustache and a floppy hat keeping up to the stumps with a seamer bowling made him a cult hero. You must look back at those days quite fondly.
Russell: Very fondly, I loved and cherished every minute. It was my boyhood dream and the dream came true.
Q. There were numerous instances where you shifted position rapidly to collect the ball while standing up to the stumps. You surely were a natural but just how did you manage to do that?
Russell: I just did it. I never practiced up to the stumps to the seam bowlers in the nets. You need to have heightened intensity or concentration to do it properly and create speed of movement, which could only be obtained to the right level during the intensity of competition in matches. That couldn’t be created for me in practice so I saved that level of performance for matches.
Q. You've vocally cited Alan Knott's influence on your career. Do you recall your first interaction with him?
Russell: Yes, it was Gloucestershire versus Kent at Bristol in 1984. There were no computers in those days so I managed to borrow from somewhere a (large!) video camera that you put on your shoulder and recorded in the old VHS tape cassettes. I taped him keeping wickets from the boundary edge when we were batting and Kent were fielding so I could study his technique. Nobody in our County had ever done that before!
I think I still have the tape somewhere. Our scorer introduced me to him after the end of play and we had a long chat about wicketkeeping. We had no wicketkeeping coaches in those days, you had to learn the job yourself by watching. So from then on, every match we played against Kent I would knock on the Kent dressing room door at the end of play and talk to Mr. Knott about wicket-keeping. You couldn’t copy his technique - he was unique, but I learned a great deal about concentration and thought processes for performing consistently and not making mistakes.
I did the same with my other hero Bob Taylor who played for Derbyshire and England. His technique, you could copy a bit as it was pure and simple. Talking to other keepers was the only coaching we had in my early years. I didn’t even know what my keeping looked like until 1985 when one of Gloucestershire's matches was televised on BBC! (I still have that VHS tape somewhere too!).
Q. How much do you think the art of wicketkeeping has evolved? We see certain glovemen add their layer of unorthodoxy to the skill - how do you view it?
Russell: The basics of wicketkeeping haven’t changed, and will never change. The principles will always be the same. Whatever the format or competition, you’re still trying to catch a cricket ball. Where it has altered slightly is that batters play wonderful improvised shots and get into strange positions which can affect your viewing when up to the stumps. So wicket-keepers now practice dealing with the visual obstruction they face in front of them to get used to it.
Q. Do you reckon there's still merit for a keeper-batter in Test cricket or has the paradigm shifted completely towards a batter first and then a keeper?
Russell: I do personally yes but the selectors see it differently now. To me, all catches and stumpings need to be taken and that will always be a priority for me. I was trained to think you don’t miss (Brian) Lara, Viv Richards, or Sachin (Tendulkar), because no amount of runs a wicket-keeper scores can compensate for one of those geniuses going on to make a big score. Batting is the priority without a doubt for a wicketkeeper now in England selection. It has been for some time. Probably since Alec Stewart although keeper-batters did fluctuate with him in that period. Batting first has probably been a permanent selection policy since Matt Prior.
It’s gone up another level this summer with the selection of Jamie Smith. Ben Foakes could bat as well as being a top keeper. But it’s “the way” a keeper bats now that is focused on. He has to come in at number 7 and be ultra aggressive especially when batting with the lower order. Ben Foakes would score his runs more gently. Smith is powerful and more destructive.
Q. What are your early impressions of young Jamie Smith? Do you think he is the man for the future in the England setup?
Russell: This is the first time I’ve seen Smith. He kept well at Lord's (on Test debut against the West Indies) which is not the easiest of places to keep because of the movement of the ball after it passes the batter and sometimes because of the low bounce in the pitch, you have to stand closer to the stumps while standing back. He is tall and strong so his batting is powerful - that’s what the England selectors like about him. It’s the main reason he’s been picked. His batting is good to watch.
If he proves he can keep wickets well to the spinners he’s going to have a long successful career because he’s only young and has a good attitude so he will only get better over the next ten to fifteen years. He’s been brought up under the supervision of Alec Stewart at Surrey County Cricket Club so there’s no surprise that Smith has the right attitude. Alec Stewart is the ultimate professional. Don’t be surprised if Smith has a long and successful international career.
Q. Who do you reckon is the best wicket-keeper in the world currently and what sets him/her apart?
Russell: The most natural keeper is Ben Foakes at Surrey. Technically the best is John Simpson, who played a few games for England during COVID-19. He was at Middlesex for many years but has just moved to Sussex this season where he is also red ball captain.
Q. There's a lot of divided opinion around Bazball and the way the England cricket team has embraced a new approach to Test cricket. What are your thoughts on that?
Russell: Bazball is brilliant, I love it, it’s great for the game, but it has to be repeated and balanced with common sense. So getting the balance right between when to attack and be cautious is the key. You can try and hit every gallery six if you like but it comes with danger so getting the percentage of attack is key. Bazball together with common sense, control, and precision is almost unbearable!
Q. England haven't won an Ashes Test in Australia since January 2011. Is Bazball the way to go for them to regain the urn?
Russell: Bazball alone won’t do it. England will need to be smarter than that, especially down under.
Q. You seem to be fond of art - both wicket-keeping and in a literal sense. How did that fondness for paintings develop?
Russell: I became bored when stuck in cricket pavilions when it was raining so to help fill in time I decided to teach myself to paint and the love affair grew from there. I started when I was in my mid-20s and have been a professional artist for over 35 years now - longer than you played professional cricket for! But it’s an obsession. Painting is like a drug. And like cricket, you never fully master it so there is always another painting to paint. Luckily I will never be bored ever again!
Q. If you had to pick one particular painting of yours at a cricket ground that you hold close to your heart, which one would it be and why?
Russell: There are so many but any painting of Lord's is always special. Probably my most prized painting is one I painted of myself and Mike Atherton chatting between overs during our rearguard action to save the test match in Johannesburg in 1995.
Q. Post your playing days, you have taken up coaching in both cricket and football. How different or similar are wicket-keeping and goalkeeping?
Russell: Mentally they are very similar. Concentration and preparation are key. Although slightly different in the actual job, both are important. Fearlessness and bravery are key components. Good hand-eye coordination also helps!
Q. If an opportunity comes by, would you consider returning to coaching a senior cricket setup?
Russell: Not now, no - because of the success of my painting career I don’t have the time. I’m focused on the art of painting now and will be for the rest of my life. I still get young keepers coming to talk to me for advice. I’m always happy to spend time doing that, but at the moment full-time or even part-time coaching is not possible.
The sheer character that Jack Russell was behind the stumps may be well away from the cricketing limelight today. But he is certainly enjoying his second innings he has savored just as much as his first.