The 'Brute' behind an Aussie dynasty

Only four men were part of Australia's trio of World Cup triumphs between 1999 and 2007: Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath and former team manager Steve 'Brute' Bernard.

But you won't find Bernard in Johannesburg or Barbados these days, with his new role as a Tournament Referee with the International Cricket Council (ICC) taking him to emerging cricket countries in the East Asia-Pacific region.

Sitting down to talk with cricket.com.au in Sano, a town 88km north of Tokyo, Bernard reflected on more than 20 years in the inner sanctum of the Australian national team.

"I don't have many bad memories, I was fortunate that I came into the position when Australia were becoming a very good side," he said.

"It was the start of a very good era for Australian cricket, and we were lucky to have some great players, and players that could manage themselves, and I was lucky to be a small part of that brilliant history."

From Australia's silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in 1998 through to their historic whitewash of the old enemy in 2006-07, Bernard was a permanent fixture, initially transitioning from a state fast bowler, to becoming the national team manager and experiencing many things in between.

"I started as a player with the New South Wales side," Bernard recalls.

"I then transitioned into a state selector and then a national selector before taking on the coaching role with the Australia Under-19 side in 1990-91."

As a selector, Bernard was part of a panel that selected Mark Waugh for the Blues, while he also introduced Test legends Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist to the Baggy Green.

In between, his tenure as coach saw him take the reins of a side that featured a young leg-spinner by the name of Shane Warne.

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His years in administration also afforded him the opportunity to visit 82 international grounds, travel to every Test playing nation and venture into territory some others wouldn't dare.

"There is a place called Trenchtown in Jamaica, where Bob Marley was born," he explains. "It can be a very dangerous place, so much so that (former West Indies quick) Michael Holding, who is regarded as the 'King of Kingston', once told me he was too scared to visit there.

"I had a connection with a man in Kingston who had access to Trenchtown, and he arranged for myself, Steve Waugh and Justin Langer to go in to Trenchtown for a visit.

"The local gangs who ran the place gave their permission for the visit, and that we weren't to be touched.

"So we spent two hours in a place learning about the area and addressing the school – an opportunity not many others have had and something that both Steve and Justin wrote about in their books later on."

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To walk away from the role was tough after being a central figure in the team setup for some of Australia's greatest sporting moments, but Bernard knew the time was right to usher in the new era for Australian cricket.

"I'd been there for 13 years and everyone has their shelf life, and there comes a time where you've got to say enough is enough," he explained.

"It can be challenging to be on the road most days of your life and there was one year where I spent 326 days on the move and away from home.

"I wanted to do a fourth World Cup in 2011 and it was a pretty good note to go out on despite Australia going out in the semi-final."

The veteran of 29 first-class matches says his new role gives him a chance to extend on his administrative career while still encompassing his vast cricket knowledge.

"I work about nine months of the year as a tournament Referee and I'm doing something I hadn't done before," he said. "I've been to a packed-out MCG or Lord's and then I come to a reverted baseball ground outside of Tokyo and there is a different sort of excitement around. 

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"Some of the players said I had gone to the dark side when I became a Referee, but it has been a very interesting position, and has had some different challenges.

"I still remember my very first game was in Vanuatu and 10 overs into the match I heard a squeal and there was a pig that had parked itself behind the mid-on fielder. 

"The next day two horses ran onto the ground, and again scattered the fielders. 

"It's just so different and unique, and a far cry from the MCG or Lord's."

Bernard is also a strong advocate for the development of cricket in regions outside the already established ones, holding high hopes for the East Asia-Pacific region moving forward.

"It's our role to try and grow the game in any way that we can, hopefully we are doing our bit to try and help local cricket in this region," he added.

"There are a number of passionate people involved in assisting the EAP region develop its talent, and this appears to be happening.

"It's important that cricket grows across the world and in my six years doing this role there has been a huge improvement by these nations.

"There is more to do but we are getting there slowly."