Futures Month: Steven Finn

Former England fast bowler Steven Finn has revealed his transition journey from playing cricket to the commentary box and beyond in an exclusive interview with the PCA to kick off Futures Month.

The 36-year-old enjoyed a lengthy career on the pitch making his debut for Middlesex as a 16-year-old in 2005. Many ups and downs would follow him throughout his cricketing life from the ultimate Ashes victories to being labelled ‘unpickable’.

The six-foot seven-inch paceman would go on to take 254 wickets for his country and an incredible 945 wickets across his professional career, predominantly for Middlesex, which included 19 five-wicket hauls.

Finn took time out of his busy schedule to speak to the PCA as part of the Association’s new initiative – Futures Month. This November the main purpose of Futures Month is to educate members on planning for their future careers and celebrating their journeys in order to inspire others to be proactive.

Futures Month will also enable the PCA to explore in depth stories of members that have successfully transitioned into their next role after playing and celebrate those members past or present trying to better themselves through their personal development.

Having played his last professional game or Sussex in 2023, Finn has been retired from the game for a couple of years but started planning for his post cricket playing days in advance.

“Working out how you’re going to make a living after playing is something that you have to give thought to and try and work out what you’re passionate about and what will challenge you. For example, cricket challenged you to get better all the time so it’s something that requires a fair amount of thought without trying to force it.”

Finn admits that leaving the game is a difficult situation to come to terms with, but he actually struggled more coming out of the England environment at the age of just 28 than retiring completely in 2023.

“I found the transition from an England player to a county player far harder than going from a county player to not playing cricket anymore. Seeing people achieve stuff and you’re not part of that is something that you miss, sharing those memories and being there inside the dressing room when you’re winning things is a buzz, that is very hard to replicate elsewhere. Managing that transition took a lot of work on my part to come out the other side.”

It’s never too early to start looking at your career after cricket, according to Finn who wishes he hadn’t just focused on cricket as a younger player because that can be ‘counter-productive’.

“When I look back on my younger years, if I’d had more balance maybe I would have dealt with the ups and downs of my playing career better and preparing for what comes after cricket definitely helps with that.”

Finn’s transition from player to pundit began well before his playing days were coming to an end. The former Middlesex quick bowler started work with Test Match Special (TMS) in 2019 being invited on the tour to New Zealand, enabling him to start the transition whilst still playing the game for another four years.

“I was fortunate Middlesex and Sussex were understanding of the fact I needed to prepare myself for what was coming after cricket. I had an interest in journalism and broadcasting earlier in my career and had done a fair amount with BBC London commentating when I was in my late teens, that helped me realise what I enjoyed.”

The PCA were able to support Finn on his personal development journey through a course allowing him to further explore his passion for journalism and writing.

“Through the PCA I worked with a magazine called All Out Cricket, they ran a journalism course that you could do alongside playing, that I did for a year, so I knew I was interested in the field and I’ve been lucky that people have helped facilitate that over the years but recognising what you like and what you enjoy is something that softens that blow when you leave the dressing room.”

Finn is now a regular on the airwaves with TMS, alongside writing for the BBC and can be seen on our screens with TNT Sport. He’s also exploring the administrative side of the game by joining the Board of Directors at Middlesex with the hope of returning the Lord’s based outfit back into a dominant county.

“You start to learn and understand what you enjoy and everything I’m doing I enjoy. I have a nine-month-old daughter now so that requires me to be at home a lot more with those responsibilities which is amazing. There’s always moving parts in life but as long as I can manage my time effectively and have enough time to dedicate to my family as well then, I’ll continue doing all the work I enjoy.”

Portraying his exceptional writing skills, Finn is releasing a new book called ‘The Ashes Files – My Pride and Pain in Cricket’s Most Intense Series’. The book tracks his rollercoaster career focussing on the Ashes series that he played in. Notably, winning in Australia in 2010/11, which was followed by being sent home from the next away Ashes tour and having to rebuild his career, all the way to winning the Ashes on home soil in 2015.

“The focus of the book is that journey and reflecting on how I could have managed things better. It’s a bit like therapy, getting those thoughts out on the page. I wrote it for myself and my family and it was a really interesting and helpful process. The lessons of what I could have done better were quite extreme examples of the highs and lows you can encounter and trying to remain balanced which helps you become a better player. So, reading the book may help people understand that it’s important to have that balance.”

Futures Month encompasses the two flagship events with the PCA Futures Conference in association with GEDU and the PCA Futures Awards in association with Lodders Solicitors. Click here to find out more. 

Learn more about the PCA Futures Awards and register your interest by clicking here.