The winter’s dark and cold nights have gone, the hours of gym work and indoor nets are being reduced, the grass on the outfield has received several cuts, and the pitches on the square look rolled whilst appearing fresh, with more than a tinge of green to accompany the spring air. The cricketer’s pre-season is upon us.
Transitioning from indoor practice to outdoor nets and middle practice is a big shift for the professional cricketer to make. Excess clothing to keep the body warm can be bulky and too restrictive for top performance to emerge. Batting gloves feel odd – there is little or no sweat to ensure the leather palms mould around the bat grip to ensure the feeling of ‘oneness’. Bowlers feel stiffer in the cold, muscles need plenty of warning before bowling stints are undertaken. The keeper has cold hands – despite wearing ‘keeping gloves and inner gloves – and the ball feels heavier and harder than one remembers from the previous September! Hands get bruised easily – too much catching and an over-zealous coaching staff with a desire to prove their worth can create chronic injuries to the ‘pads’ at the base of the fingers whether it be the hands of ‘keepers or outfielders.
It is a challenging few weeks and acclimatisation can be difficult – especially for those returning to the UK from overseas or indeed the overseas players encountering an English pre-season/early season for the first time.
Slower batting surfaces and excessive lateral movement can make batting precarious and hard to get into rhythm – but the best players seem to fin it as the curtain-raiser of the university fixtures makes way for the first official fixture of the County Championship season. And bowlers hate bowling with cold fingers – especially the spin bowlers.
Individual players, irrespective of their seniority, will be keen to feel bat on ball consistently to get a helpful gauge on what is working well in pre-season and what requires attention. Bowlers like to find rhythm and also want the fitness from bowling overs in the middle and on softer (and debilitating) ground. Fielders need hours in the middle to sharpen levels of concentration and also to build the mental stamina needed before the first ‘important’ game begins. It can be a scramble for the best opportunities and sometimes, fringe players can conclude they have little or no chance of early season selection based on who is given the most (and the best) opportunities in pre-season practice.
And then, seemingly out of nowhere, the first official day of the new season passes and the marathon has begun. It may have felt like a new beginning – but soon the historic frailties of a player’s form an d fitness and/or a team’s collective strengths and weaknesses begin to be increasingly exposed. Coaches fear for their jobs as soon as the results reveal an unwelcome pattern of defeats. Players get fearful of their place in the team and the possibility of future contracts being extended. It can be a fraught few weeks for those employed to play professional cricket. And then, the warmer weather comes, and the better performances kick in and people settle down – except for those who remain in a performance slump carried over from the previous season(s).
I used to love pre-season. I wintered in South Africa regularly and was always pleased to return despite the warm winter weather, good competitive cricket players and generous hospitality received under the clear blue South African skies. The chance to re-connect with family, watch other sport live, and importantly, re-integrate myself into the bosom of the county club and team I felt proud to represent. And, the prospect of a new season always offered hope. Hope that “this year will be my best year yet.”
From a personal perspective, my early season form was often my best of the year. I scored three centuries in the first match of three different seasons. Perhaps it was as a consequence of being able to have dedicated time to practice as opposed to the glut of matches during a season that limited the quality and the quantity of practice opportunities? Or maybe it was just a co-incidence? What I do know, is that amused to love playing in the early Benson & Hedges group matches and trying to qualify for the knock-out quarter final stages, ideally by winning the group and gaining a home tie in the quarters. And the first few Sunday League games were always important too. A chance to get to the top end of the table to enable a possible mid-season run of good form to ensure the team was in pole position for a tilt at the title in August and September. But it was the County Championship matches which were deemed to be of most importance – play poorly in those and any hope of being considered to play for England was off the radar. Whereas, those who enjoyed a sprint start to the season could find their names being put in the frame for possible selection later in the year. It was an exciting time – a mix of apprehension, hope and positive expectation.
Today’s cricketer is different. The white ball format has grown in terms of profile and validity for remuneration. Greater short form opportunities are available to ‘the jobbing professional’ around the world and performing well in the t20 Blast or in The Hundred counts for far more than one day success achieved for a player’s reputation back in the day. The schedule is very different too – with matches being played in blocks rather than different formats being integrated into a week’s activity as a pro cricketer. To think we even used to play a championship fixture on a Saturday, then ‘change clothes into coloured gear’ on a Sunday for a 40 over match, then resume a 3-day County Championship match on a Monday morning seems totally ridiculous now!
I went to see a pre-season friendly last week at Merchant Taylor’s School between Middlesex and Kent. Unfortunately, the bad weather was the winner. No play was possible on all 3 days and the match abandoned without. Ball being bowled. However, the quality of practice afforded to both teams in the marquee with hot air being blown out too seemed a most innovative way of occupying the players attention whilst ensuring that the ‘indoor’ practice was on an outdoor surface. Whoever decided on this innovation a few years ago deserves a medal for their ingenuity. I would love to have had access to such a brilliant facility when I was playing, especially because I played overseas in the winters and the last thing I wanted to do was to spend time batting in the indoor cricket school on fast bouncy surface (within the confines of an enclosed net) as preparation for playing a first-class match. And, for players who wintered in UK, there was always a sense of ‘cabin fever’ by February/March due to having too many indoor nets and the need for outside preparation was of paramount importance to both tier mental health and their impending form.
So, as the season approaches, what is it that really pricks my attention for 2023 beyond the obvious excitement of an upcoming Ashes series?
I’m keen to see Ben Compton continue his excellent form from last season and build further upon the excellent winter he enjoyed in Zimbabwe. I am looking forward to seeing Jonny Bairstow get back to full fitness and hopefully top form too. I want to see the same for Chris Woakes (one of my favourite modern cricketers) because eI believe that in English conditions he is one of the best swing/seam bowlers around. I am always keen to see young players emerge in 1st team cricket – will Jacob Bethell at Warwickshire make a big impression on the England selectors? Or, will Middlesex’s Josh de Caires be ‘the bolter’ after his impressive start to last season at Lord’s versus Middlesex.
Will 2023 finally be Somerset’s year? Can the County Championship pennant finally fly on the flagpole at Taunton? Or, will Yorkshire be the team to beat now the off-filed action can be superseded by the on-field action? Perhaps Lancashire will be the team to beat? Or, can Surrey maintain their recent pre-dominance as the elite club of English cricket? Maybe, just maybe, my home county Essex will be on top of the tree in various formats? My money is on Hampshire to have a great season. Let’s see what unfolds…
On a final note, how strange it will be to start a count season without Darren Stevens plying his trade as a superb all rounder. Maybe someone will offer him a role once early season injuries occur. He wants to play, is in fine shape due to his professionalism and most importantly, he remains hungry for success. Stevo remains a superb example to all cricketers – he loves the game and is the most competitive of people whilst always quick to raise a smile and share a joke at appropriate moments. Kent will miss him dearly. Hopefully, an opportunity to fulfil a coaching role at Kent or elsewhere will ensure his boyish enthusiasm and cricket wisdom remains available on the professional circuit for some time to come.
Meanwhile, as the cricketers wrap up warm and the umpires check their umbrellas are in good working order, the expanded IPL will get underway on March 31st and 74 matches Slater, it will conclude on May 21st. With a 6.1Billion US dollars broadcasting deal to underpin the IPL, it is now send only to the NFL in terms of broadcast value rights, and above the price paid for FA Premier League rights. The cricket landscape has changed forever because of the power afforded by such huge money.
My sense is that more and more players will be using county cricket to promote themselves and their personal brand to increase their chances of being picked up in future auctions for the franchise short form tournaments. Any administrator/cricket watcher that doesn’t realise that the landscape has changed is deluding themselves. Short-form cricket is now the priority for many, and arguably most pro cricketers. It’s sad, but I fear there is little chance of a return to ‘the good old days’ when county cricket provided a home for the world’s best players and a breeding ground for teat match cricketers.
Despite this, the UK season is something to behold. The changes of weather provide a welcome contrast and the seasonal experience of living in England means that the upcoming cricket season represents the excitement of spring and the summer reveals England in its finest glory.
Why else would the world’s best players want to be here? Steven Smith, and Marnus Labuschagne are just two members of the Australia test team ‘warming up’ for the ashes series by playing county cricket. CATCH THEM WHILE YOU CAN! Hopefully a fielder or two does the same and they struggle to find form ahead of the most awaited Ashes series I can remember.
Can we win? I think so. Will we win… who knows? But hope springs eternal.