Former Australian Cricket Captain: “Power Divorce” fame overshadowed stadium memories
It is a rare event for one cricket player to surprise another to the point of astonishment, but what recently happened to John Aiken proved that this is possible.
On the second morning of the second Ashes Test, while engaging in conversation in a Brisbane hotel square, two former England cricket players—Phil Tufnell and Holly Hartley—noticed him.
Tufnell asked for a video to send to his wife and her colleagues, while Hartley requested a selfie to post in women’s mobile messaging groups.
This is a normal practice for cricket players, but what is surprising is that Aiken, who has a history as a first-class cricket player, was not known to them from that perspective. He is a very well-known figure on Australian television.
Aiken, a relationship expert on the show Married at First Sight (MAFS) in Australia, is one of the most prominent television personalities in the country. The show matches strangers and introduces them at the moment their marriage begins.
There are many versions of this show around the world, including the UK, but the Australian format is gaining a wide international fan base.
However, the two former players, Tufnell and Hartley, did not realize they had met John Aiken, a former first-class cricket player.
Aiken, a specialist left-handed batsman, had an 11-year first-class cricket career in New Zealand between 1990 and 2001. On his Wikipedia page, he is mentioned as “John Aiken (cricketer).”
“I still keep in touch with a lot of the Black Caps I played with when I was younger,” Aiken tells BBC Sport.
“What feels weird now is that they see me as the guy from MAFS, not the left-handed opening batsman who represented Wellington.”
Aiken is 55 years old. His post-cricket career led him to become a household name in Australia. The day before, he was in the crowds at the ‘Gabba’ grounds and was approached by a man wearing an ‘over-color’ shirt trying to find out more about Season 13 of Married at First Sight, which airs in the new year.
About forty years ago, Aiken was taking his first steps in professional cricket. Born in Sydney, he moved to New Zealand at the age of 12 and was progressing through the Wellington system.
In 1989, Aiken became part of the New Zealand Under-19 team on a tour of England to meet a local team that included players like Mark Ramprakash, Dominic Cork, and Darren Gough. Aiken even got a chance to play at Lord’s.
“Nia Knight put us under his authority every time we met him,” Aiken says.
Six months later, Aiken made his first-class cricket debut with Wellington. He scored 156 runs in the final match against Canterbury at the prominent Lancaster Park grounds in Christchurch.
“I was less aggressive than the followers of Ben Dunkett, Michael Slater, and Michael Haydn,” Aiken says. “If I were playing today, I would have to change my playing style and become more aggressive.”
“The only thing that held me back was that I over-analyzed almost everything. I would stand in front of the mirror at night, practicing my playing form, all of it.”
Aiken combined his early years as a professional cricketer with studying for a master’s degree in clinical and community psychology. Although he received his degree at the age of 25 and psychology later became his life, his first passion was to play cricket for New Zealand.
He believes he was “close” to achieving that but couldn’t amass enough runs to complete the Black Cap crowning ceremony.
Instead, it inspired him to cast a shadow of pride in first-class cricket. New Zealand champions Martin Crowe and Stephen Fleming were on his team, and his rival was left-arm bowler and current Australia coach Daniel Vettori. “He sent it on a paper napkin,” Aiken says.
Aiken played against international European teams and was run out in a one-day match against South Africa by Jonty Rhodes, arguably the best defensive player of all time.
“On any given day, it was a very simple step,” Aiken says. “I hit the ball into the fold, then I said, yes, a simple step. He ran me out five out of ten times.”
When Aiken left Wellington and joined Auckland, he faced a team from the Spanish group that included Brigadier Brian Lara.
Aiken recalls: “We had a conversation the night before, and we just said: no one says anything to Brian Lara. We greet you as Sir Lara. Be kind. And if he gets tired, he might get out early. We all know that if you annoy him, you’ll get 400 runs.”
“So, sure enough, he came out. ‘Hello Sir Lara, how was your stay? How are things going?’ He was kind. He must have hit the ball in our field twice, then hit one in the air and got out. And we all just sighed collectively with relief.”
Another rival was the young Otago batsman Brendon McCullum – who now watches MAFS at the invitation of his Australian wife, Ellisa.
“Anyone from Otago, you have to button up your shirt because they will come at you hard,” Aiken says.
“He had a style where he would work to finish his name early. I don’t know him well, but he doesn’t seem like someone who worries much about what is said about him.”
At the age of 30, Aiken realized that the dream of international cricket was fading. After a season of playing cricket in Europe for the Gomersal team in Yorkshire’s final level, he finished up.
Aiken scored two runs in his last first-class match in February 2001. Aiken ended up with 4 runs in 46 first-class matches, with an average of less than 29. He scored additional runs in 39 “List A” matches.
Seven years later, Aiken moved to Australia and started his own practice “seeing couples and married people, enjoying myself.” He was occasionally assisting on TV during the day as a relationship expert, but it was an email he received in 2014 that changed his life.
Aiken applied for MAFS and got the role. After more than 11 years, the show will air its 13th season in Australia in January, followed by the UK in the spring. It is an Australian phenomenon, perhaps second only to the children’s cartoon Bluey as the country’s biggest TV export currently.
The show’s appeal is not only limited to whether strangers can fall in love, but also to the interactions between 12 different couples – often to inflamed margins.
“It’s unscripted, real, and honest, and you don’t know what you’re going to get,” Aiken says.
Aiken’s role is to guide the couples and oblige them to “take responsibility.” His linguistic attack is one of the most enjoyable parts of the show. Notice the strong personality that is a complete transformation from the self-analyzing opening batsman in front of the mirror.
“I am not inside my head when I am on MAFS and performing my role,” Aiken says. “When I was playing cricket, I was inside my head.”
“Over-analyzing things usually leads to slowing down, and in cricket, if you are thinking about playing technique all the time, I found that it ultimately leads to getting out and having doubt about the game.”
“TV is about getting out there and dealing with whatever is in front of you, calling it out and letting the drama unfold. I feel more accessible in the media world now than I was when I was playing cricket.”
Regarding his two distinct professional lives, Aiken says that the “excitement” in Married at First Sight outweighs the “anxiety” of opening the batting, and he would not trade his seat on the MAFS couch for the Black Cap in New Zealand.
“Cricket gave me some great moments, but I wasn’t able to shine, to look back and enjoy the journey,” Aiken says.
“In MAFS, that’s all I do. MAFS is something that has given me great pleasure.”
“And you know what? It can work. Strangers can fall in love. This year, we have some love in the midst of the chaos.”
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