How the 'Cricket Superstar' earned his stripes

It's a fair indicator of Ian Holland's strange and unusual career path that his triumph in Australian cricket's only foray into reality television might not be the most unconventional chapter of his story.

Holland is surely the only cricketer to be born in Wisconsin, raised in Melbourne, be substituted into his only first-class match in the country he still considers home (Australia), forge a career elsewhere (in the UK) and then make his international debut for another nation altogether (the United States).

A decade on from the airing of Foxtel's one and only season of Cricket Superstar, the allrounder's major cricket goals are markedly different to those he fostered a decade ago.

Helping Hampshire, the English county team where he has resurrected his first-class career following three years on contract with Victoria, win their first County Championship title in almost 50 years is the first of those. 

Another is to play in a World Cup for his country of birth, who he believes "could be anything" on the international cricket scene if their high-performance programs improve at the same pace as their off-field developments.

Image Id: 4ADA7CDD7EC24EA5A2751AFB79D6545D Image Caption: Ian Holland won the first and only season of Cricket Superstar // Foxtel/Mint Pictures

Born in the USA's Midwest to his American mother Cherie and British-born Australian father Bernie, who had met while studying at Michigan State University, Holland grew up in Melbourne's eastern suburbs after his family moved back to Australia when he was two.

While his talents as a right-arm swing bowler and middle-order batter saw him progress through Victoria's Under-17 and U19 sides, his major break came when he entered the Cricket Australia-sanctioned, Allan Border-judged Cricket Superstar television show in 2012.

Viewers may recall the contestants, which also included Sydney Sixers opener Justin Avendano and former Netherlands batter Ben Cooper, completing activities that could be described as cricket-adjacent at best, among them Bollywood dancing, sky-diving and underwear modelling.

Yet the program's prize was legitimate; after Border 'dismissed' the other 14 contestants in dramatic leaving ceremonies at the conclusion of each of the 12 episodes, Holland walked away with a professional contract with Victoria and a scholarship to Australia's famed national cricket academy.

Image Id: A8E2A09DB6564A249CB5B6F71451A936 Image Caption: 'No doubt it fast tracked my development' // Foxtel

"I didn't go on it wanting to be on TV," he tells cricket.com.au. "It wasn't the reason I went on it, so I was naturally a bit uncomfortable about the whole experience.

"The opportunity to get contracted, that was the lure. Allan Border being the judge, the masterclasses with Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden – your childhood heroes – it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

"No doubt it fast tracked my development at that stage.

"I went through a period maybe a couple of years afterwards where I tried to distance myself from it. But as I've gotten older, I've embraced it as part of my journey.

"It's a cool one to bring out over a beer."

After spending a winter rubbing shoulders with the likes of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Johnson and Aaron Finch at what was then called the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane, Holland impressed Victorian selectors enough to have his one-year rookie deal extended for a further 12 months before earning a full contract in 2015 on the back of dominant performances for powerhouse Melbourne club, Ringwood.

And although his lack of opportunities in a strong Victorian side – his solitary game for the Vics came when he was substituted into a Sheffield Shield match on day two when fellow allrounder Marcus Stoinis was controversially removed for national duties – meant he ended up casting his gaze abroad, Holland is adamant the Australian system has had an enduring effect on his character.

Image Id: 2A4AA568A9374E8D89BD4E8B1C8853D0 Image Caption: Holland played just one Sheffield Shield match for Victoria // Getty

"I learned so much as a player and as an allrounder, without probably realising it at the time," he says having struggled to get a game at Victoria ahead of international-quality allrounders like Stoinis, Dan Christian and John Hastings.

"Going through a really formative phase of five years where I was working really hard, but getting very little opportunity, has made everything else after that chapter almost a breeze."

The British passport he had secured thanks to his father's heritage allowed him to be considered as a local player by Hampshire, who took up a recommendation from former captain Dimitri Mascarenhas and blooded him in all formats during the 2017 season. 

But Holland's career was once again in limbo when, following a 2018 season affected by a serious shoulder injury, the county hired a new coach, Adrian Birrell, for the 2019 summer.

"If you're a new coach walking in and inheriting a group and you see my name there at (age) 26, 27 and only a handful of first-class games next to my name, I think naturally you're going to look elsewhere," Holland says.

"That probably happened initially and but then midway through that season, I got an opportunity to open the batting. I'd put up some decent numbers in second team cricket and had always been in the coach's ear that if there was an opportunity there, I'd take it with both hands."

Image Id: 513768B117DD49F8B2111FD6F331C3DE Image Caption: 'I'm pretty realistic of where I'm at and what I want out of cricket' // Getty

So followed two more breaks with convention.

The first came when Holland, with two half-centuries from 30 first-class innings to his name, was indeed promoted to open and swiftly delivered with a six-hour knock of 143, sharing in a club record fifth-wicket partnership of 262.

With two more tons coming last year as an opener – he had shifted down the order in 2020 when the unavailability of overseas players due to the pandemic left the club more reliant on his bowling – Holland now shapes as an important part of the club's hopes for a first four-day title since 1973.

But despite his recent success and the dearth of top-order batting talent in the UK, the 31-year-old concedes playing for England is probably beyond him.

"If it came up and it worked out like a Darren Pattinson situation, you'd take it with both hands," he says. "But I'm pretty realistic of where I'm at and what I want out of cricket."

His second break with convention in 2019 has nonetheless paved the way for an international future of considerable promise.

The United States' men's team, for whom Holland has now played for 14 times since his first call-up three years ago, are already guaranteed qualification for the T20 World Cup they will co-host with the West Indies in 2024.

An ICC qualifying event in Zimbabwe in July will determine whether the US can make their maiden World Cup appearance for the preceding event in Australia later this year.

Image Id: AEBEDCAE38FE41BDA9D9B5A4E0CD1B7E Image Caption: Holland made his debut for the USA in 2019 // USA Cricket

"I could see a lot of my (Australian) mates there (singing) Star-Spangled Banner," says a smiling Holland when asked about the prospect of playing in a World Cup for the US in the country he still considers home.

"You're on the world stage and you never know what can happen. If you made a score against Australia or England, you could get picked up anywhere."

The USA, who are also in the running to qualify for next year's 50-over World Cup in India, have bold ambitions following a period of administrative turbulence.

Texas will host its first ever ODIs this year following upgrades to a stadium in Houston, while a USA Cricket-sanctioned T20 league dubbed 'Major League Cricket' has plans to attract leading international players when it launches next year at redeveloped stadiums in North Carolina, Florida, California and Texas.

"I think the ceiling of USA cricket is huge," Holland says.

"There's actually so many new cricket fans in the USA. It's about aligning the network of cricket in the USA into a high-performance system.

"I think once that's developed, whenever that is, it's going to be a force to be reckoned with.

"That might be a decade down the track, but there's a lot of cricketers. And once they get things set up right, it could be anything."

A bit like Holland himself.