Kane Richardson: Australia bowler on veganism & cricket

Kane Richardson has taken 81 wickets for Australia crossed each formats

There's an aged stereotype of the emblematic Australian accelerated bowler: big, scary, intimidating, and a win-at-all-costs mentality.

Back successful 2016, Richardson and his spouse adopted a vegan fare aft being exposed to documentaries connected the nutrient and dairy industries portion playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore successful the Indian Premier League.

Some wondered if the determination would impact the seamer's show connected the field. Others mocked his manner choice. But arsenic acold arsenic the 31-year-old was concerned, each that was a non-issue.

"I ne'er truly thought astir if it would interaction my cricket due to the fact that I didn't attraction to beryllium honest," helium admits freely. "It's my occupation but there's bigger things retired determination successful life. I thought 'I'll marque bash - if my assemblage changes, I'll fig it out'. For maine it wasn't a show thing.

"Some guys utilized to spell 'if you get hungry, are you going to commencement eating the grass?', they utilized to find that benignant of happening funny. Some radical bash inactive deliberation that's however the fare is, truthful it is comic erstwhile you tin explicate it to them and accidental no, there's a full batch much that's disposable now, and it's astir apt getting easier each day."

So what does a regular repast program look similar for Richardson?

"For meal I effort and person scrambled tofu, that's godliness - truly formal it up with immoderate sides, avocado connected toast. I effort to get arsenic galore legumes successful arsenic I can, truthful chickpeas, beans, tofu - I really emotion tofu," says Richardson.

"Even earlier I turned vegetarian, I ever loved eating tofu and didn't truly bask nutrient truthful I astir apt should person done it erstwhile I was a kid! That's the main happening I basal meals around. Then I tin formal it up successful a sandwich oregon nevertheless I privation to person it. But I bash devour a lot, that's for sure."

Kane Richardson took 13 wickets for Birmingham Phoenix successful this year's Hundred - lone 3 men picked up more

His passionateness for the situation doesn't halt astatine tofu, though. Years of touring the satellite with Australia and franchise teams person opened his eyes to the effect planetary cricket tournaments tin person connected the environment.

It's thing helium feels powerfully about.

"One happening we don't deliberation astir successful cricket is the biology interaction this is having, and the resources this is using," helium adds.

"I get frustrated erstwhile we travel to a state similar the UK and you've got beauteous drinking h2o successful a tap, but you spot guys astir the edifice that are drinking from integrative bottles each the time. I don't privation to beryllium preachy, but you don't person to bash that.

"You tin bargain a vessel and past reuse that vessel the full time. Even the interaction that a play of The Hundred has successful a period - we request to beryllium amended astatine knowing what interaction that's having.

"At what constituent bash we realise that we request to bash thing astir it? Change needs to travel from america now. In the hotel, our washing comes backmost successful integrative sleeves and I'm like, 'my socks don't request to beryllium successful plastic, they're socks, I'm going to deterioration them'. I honestly consciousness blameworthy - I emotion playing cricket, but the interaction it's having - I conscionable privation determination were ways we could bash it better.

"Whether oregon not you judge it, things are changing astir us. The canal retired the backmost [of the squad hotel], you spell for a locomotion and each you tin spot is integrative bottles successful there. They don't conscionable vanish and spell to immoderate beatified place, they spell into the water, it's ne'er arsenic elemental arsenic being instantly recycled.

"We each request to commencement reasoning that mode due to the fact that it's having a truly large interaction connected everything astir us. I've got a two-year-old astatine location truthful that's wherever I commencement thinking, 'we can't beryllium selfish here'. We request to permission our kids something."

Richardson does person immoderate anticipation for the future, though.

"There's bully radical successful spot that are trying to assistance astatine definite grounds," helium smiles. "I cognize astatine Edgbaston there's nary h2o bottles successful the changing country for the players to portion retired of, conscionable reusable cups."

"A batch of the guys I talk to are like, 'I'd similar to spell vegan, but I couldn't chopped retired fish, oregon I couldn't chopped retired cheese'. And I'm like, 'you could bash that!'. If you privation to alteration definite things, past bash that and spot however it goes for you.

"Any tiny alteration is going to assistance the animals, the situation - fundamentally everyone successful a satellite that's going to beryllium much sustainable."