One of the highlights of a trip with International Cricket Tours is our special private events.
Here, ICT tourists can get to know stars of the game in intimate environments – a real perk of booking with us.
Tour manager Gary Millis is often at the heart of these occasions, and at various points in recent months he has MC-ed evenings with Sir Curtly Ambrose, Adam Hollioake, and Steven Finn.
He reflects on those one-on-one encounters…
A new start
My first interview was with Surrey and England allrounder Adam Hollioake during the 2022 Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia. We organised a luxury lunch cruise for our travellers around Sydney Harbour.
I was extremely uneasy about this task and felt out of my comfort zone but Adam was brilliant and funny. I put a lot of work into preparing for it but then he called me and discussed the interview and helped me a lot with the structure. And as a big Surrey fan, it was an honour!
Facing the fear
This year as lead tour manager I was given the task of interviewing Sir Curtly Ambrose in Antigua. Again I felt a little apprehensive interviewing such a legend and was searching Google for any snippets that I could find to get him started.
I was nervous, just as I was interviewing Hollioake. Sir Curtly is regarded as one of the best bowlers of all time and one who put fear up many batsmen.
I was worried the occasion might put the fear up me, but I needn’t have been so concerned.
Quickly I realised ‘I can do this!’ I then felt extremely relaxed and enjoyed the whole experience, and I was pleased to receive the odd compliment from clients afterwards.
Interviewing someone like Sir Curtly gives you confidence to interview just about anyone.
Finn-ishing school
Lastly, I got to speak to ex-England player Steve Finn in St Lucia. Questions from the clients flowed and again I looked deep into the archives and managed to get a story out of Steve about making his debut as a 16-year-old. He was the youngest ever to play for Middlesex against the Combined Universities, and he recalled John Embury as his chauffeur driving like a maniac to get him to the game.
This interview was unlike the other two. This time I was completely relaxed and looking forward to it. As I grew more confident I ad-libbed and asked about how he got involved with Test Match Special, which sparked a fascinating conversation. I revealed that I have been invited to commentary boxes by Simon Hughes and Roland Butcher in recent years – it’s only then you realise how difficult it is to commentate, especially between balls.
Now I feel so confident I feel like I can interview anyone, maybe I should use the great Sir Michael Parkinson’s theme tune by way of introduction! Maybe I’m getting too far ahead of myself.
COME ON TOUR WITH GARY
