Gavin Robertson in his debut Test in India in 1998. Credit:Reuters "I played for Australia A in the one-day series against Australia, Zimbabwe and England," he said. "I'd just come off two or three years playing for NSW in 1992, 93 and 94. I was picked for Australia and the world was pretty good … I'd won two Sheffield Shields and two Mercantile Mutual Cups with the Baby Blues … the last final at the MCG was [the] last game and if you didn't get picked to tour South Africa with Australia you were out of that squad. "Eight days later I wasn't in the NSW squad. We had no contracts then. I don't have a degree and I'd go for jobs but people wouldn't employ me because they thought I'd leave to play cricket after they invested a few months of training into me." Robertson was too proud to ask his friends for help so his only option was Centrelink payments. Despite his eventual professional success, the embarrassment of that period still burns. His admissions help explain what drives our cricketers to defy the critics, self-doubt, pain, form slumps, so-called demons and public scrutiny to cling to their places in the Australian team like drowning men might to a life line.

"The biggest problem with cricket is cricketers will never admit they live in their own bubble," Robertson said. "I lived in it a little bit, but only when I was playing for Australia, and you can't help it. "And it's because this one thing - playing for your country - means so much; you don't want to lose it and you'll negate everything. You take [out] everything that's not a priority in your life and you're left with a few things like family, sponsorship agreements, keeping people happy on top of your training commitments and playing." "I don't look too far ahead … you can't in this game. As a batter you have to worry about the next ball and the next chance you get to bat …'' - Ponting on Wednesday During most of his first-class career Robertson left for work at 6am, knocked off at 3pm, attended training and dragged himself through his front door at 8pm. It was a relentless cycle but Robertson was focused on fulfilling a dream he'd ultimately discover didn't offer even the sport's best any guarantees. As he watched Ponting preserve his place with a fighting century against India at the SCG, Robertson admitted he occasionally questioned why he was so driven to play international cricket.

"As a 45-year-old bloke I can sit back and ask myself why didn't I, at 30, study and build a stronger framework - that would've been good advice," he said. "But, it was like I was addicted to this drug of succeeding and I think all cricketers are the same." Ponting, Michael Hussey, skipper Michael Clarke and young guns Shaun Marsh and Pat Cummins must be consumed by that same pursuit of excellence and sense of achievement that pushed Robertson. Each has had their trials and tribulations. Had they failed on Wednesday the crowd that so generously applauded Ponting and Hussey after they scored their hundreds could just as easily been a rabble jeering for both men to be sent to cricket's gallows. Clarke has worked tirelessly to gain the public's respect since he became national skipper while, despite their youth, Cummins and Marsh have battled injuries that mustn't seem fair. "'Do I want my son to play?' asked Robertson. "Not really, because I'm a soft father. Jake is 15, he's six-foot, but do I want him to go through the pain? Maybe not … But he told me he really liked cricket and he's got some advice off a couple of good people like [former West Indies paceman] Corey Collymore and Ben Sawyer and he's become quite good.'' "When you go through a lean trot it's amazing how many little things creep into your head …'' - Ponting On one hand Robertson feared the pressure of elite cricket was so intense it could make players of a certain disposition vulnerable to depression, on the other he said it also taught young men to cope with mental hardship and stress. "I don't like it when I see a young bloke in grade cricket seem happy to get 42 because [when I was young] Ian Davis or Tony Steele were captains who'd berate you for letting your team down at an important time," he said. "You'd conquered the bowling, but you played a loose shot and got out.

"They'd ask: 'What? You didn't want to work harder for your team? You just showed how selfish you were' … [it's harsh] but it's true. "Yet they'd let you off if you were bowled for eight or even 17. If you were doing well at 40 and didn't concentrate you copped it, but they're great life lessons. Cricket is a game that teaches you to cope with life.'' On Ponting, Robertson says: "I've always reckoned Punter looks like someone has said something wrong to him before he's gone on the field because it's like the world's against him, especially lately. But he's come through it and has a better story in the end for it. He can tell people a lot more about coping with a range of things than he might have had to two or three years ago.'' "I got up and saw the shirt was pretty much destroyed. My grille was pressed against my face and I was spitting out pieces of the wicket so I could try and smile … - Ponting on his desperate dive to score his century

An old man had passed Robertson a few times as he walked his dog around Parramatta Park, and he made an impact when he offered the spin bowler the advice of a bloke who'd lived life. "He fronted me and I tried to say I wasn't the cricketer, but he said he knew his cricket pretty well," recalled Robertson. "He'd noticed me sitting on the bench and made a few points including you can expect so much and think you're deserved of the life. "He said it was all about putting a good week together. He said Monday, Tuesday and the first half of Wednesday aren't great days, but you work hard and do well. Then, come the second half of Wednesday, you can get a smile on your face, you've done your 2½ [bad] days but combine them with the 2½ good days and it made a good week. Put 52 of those together, he said, and it's a good year. "I never got his name but he advised me to learn my job and then ask questions about other roles in the business because that's how you get promoted. Funnily enough, two days later a mate called. [He] was a warehouse manager and he asked if I wanted work. I'd normally have said 'Me pick up boxes?' even though I'd done it before. "I jumped. I was desperate, I was hungry and I was sick of relying on cricket. I wanted to be more than an off-spinner. I only worked eight days there and saw a buyer's assistants job. My resume´ wasn't that great but I said [during the job interview] cricketers only get the chance to make two or three mistakes before we're sacked, and I was desperate for the job and to work hard."

Loading Robertson has since embarked on a media career: he co-hosts Talkin' Sport on radio 2SM, appears on Sky News and is a presenter on BigPond TV. He's also employed by the GWS AFL team. He's proud of what he achieved as a cricketer and says he is happy. "Sometimes, you learn the bad times deliver good," he said. "I'm not getting too carried away with [the century]. I know there's certain things I have to keep working on.'' - Ponting