'Probably earned more from painting than playing cricket': Former England player Jack Russell

Jack Russell reveals he has made more money from painting than playing cricket. (Photo: ICC)

Former England wicketkeeper-batter Jack Russell, who now paints portraits in a posh neighborhood of London, is just as eccentric as he was when he played cricket. Russell uses social media to market his paintings all over the world, but he stays away from phones and doesn't use WhatsApp. The Chris Beetles Gallery in central London is the most likely location for an in-person meeting, and email is the easiest way to get in touch with him.

Now 61, Russell was well-known for his unusual batting position and his on-field sunglasses. He wore a battered hat behind the wickets as if it were a natural part of him, and his deft hands cemented his status as one of England's best wicketkeepers.

Through his paintings, Russell maintains a connection to county cricket more than two decades after he retired from the sport. Cricket fans can have a nostalgic experience by visiting the gallery on Ryder Street.

Russell, who has a large Indian fan base, recently painted a portrait of Ranjitsinhji, the first Indian player to represent England.

“Just every year I try and paint somebody from history. Last year I did ex England captain Douglas Jardine, a very controversial character from the Ashes."

“This year I chose Ranjitsinhji, one reason being the rich history of the man. If you study him and look at his career, he’s a colourful character, stroke player, a bit of a trailblazer. It is one of my favourites in the exhibition."

“With India and England playing currently, I thought it was the right time to do it," Russell was quoted as saying to PTI.

Talking to Jack Russell, it’s clear he has a deep love for cricket, but his passion for painting seems to outweigh it.

“I retired from England cricket in 1998 and I retired from County Cricket in 2004, so over 20 years now, it’s gone quickly, but very busy just painting. It’s the only skill I’ve got left, so I just paint every day. That’s what I do. That’s my job. So I just paint, paint, paint. I have been doing it for about 35-36 years now. That is longer than my playing days," Russell said.

Russell had always been interested in art as a child, but he didn't take painting seriously until England's cricket matches had rain breaks, which frustrated his teammates.

Some of his art from the 2019 Ashes series has sold for up to 25,000 pounds, despite the fact that he is not financially driven.

Has his income as an artist surpassed that of a cricket player?

“Yeah, I think so, because in those days, we got pretty well paid, but it’s not what they get paid now. These guys now, if you play for England for five or 10 years, then you shouldn’t have to work again. If you’re careful with your money, you’ll be fine."

“But I don’t do it for the money. I do it for the addiction and the love. But yeah, I probably earned more money now painting than I did playing. I’m just so lucky to have two jobs that I love doing."

“And even if I had to have another job and paint pictures, I would do it. But luckily, because people buy my pictures all over the world, it allows me to keep painting and I don’t have to get a proper job."

Russell made two trips to India, one for the Nehru Cup in 1989 and the other for the World Cup in 1996. One of his best paintings, in his opinion, is of Brabourne Stadium during an exhibition game.

“I loved India and Pakistan. I had such great time on the days off. You know, we could go off then and do your own thing. I’d go down to the local market and sketch local people."

“At various points, I had people knocking on my hotel room door asking to be painted. And I used to sit in a restaurant at night and get my canvases out and paint people sitting in restaurants, and musicians and things, and the local landscape."

“I used to pain on the street with my England shirt but got moved on by the police which is fair enough as it caused bit of a problem."

“I could spend the rest of my life there. I just had such a great time painting in India and Pakistan. And I did some nice stuff in South Africa," Russell said, fondly recalling interactions with Sachin Tendulkar and Javagal Srinath, his teammate at Gloucestershire.

“He could bowl quick," Russell remarked about Srinath.

Russell enjoys following cricket news. When he's not on the field, he watches the scores live. Even though he painted every day, he went to Lord's to see India vs England in the third Test.

“I have probably watched more of this series than I should have done because I should have been painting pictures of people. But it’s been quite enthralling."

As a wicketkeeper, he likes to talk about his peers and offers suggestions for Rishabh Pant and Jamie Smith.

“There’s been so many good wicketkeepers out there. I would say in my time, Alan Knott and Bob Taylor were my two heroes.

“But I used to like watching Syed Kirmani. I watched him a lot when I was younger. I thought he was a good keeper."

Regarding current wicketkeepers, Russell said, “Rishabh Pant, you’ve got to watch him play. You’ve got to, whether he’s batting or keeping wicket, you’ve just got to watch the guy. So he’s an entertainer."

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“And it’s great to see that he’s back playing cricket too (after the car accident). I think the young lad, Jamie Smith, I think he will end up being England’s greatest ever batsman wicketkeeper of all time because the guy has got a lot of skill.

“He’s a big guy, but he’s quite agile. And his batting is so strong. I mean, you could put him into Gilchrist bracket, the way he hits the ball."

Does Pant's wicketkeeping have any shortcomings?

“He’s going to make mistakes because there are technically things that need to iron out. But he’ll do brilliant things and he’ll make mistakes as well, but most keepers do."

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“But keeping in England is quite a difficult place to get wickets. So he’s not going to be perfect here, but his batting is so strong."

“There’s some work he needs to do (in wicket-keeping), standing up to the stumps, only minor adjustments. I’m going to tell him if he asks me. But they’re small things and they’re probably just small mental things about vision and what balls to expect where," Russell concluded before returning to his passion for painting.