JEETAN PATEL’S INSIDE TRACK ON THE BEARS
WARWICKSHIRE SKIPPER WITH INSIDE TRACK ON THE BEARS’ CAMPAIGN
OUR Vitality T20 Blast campaign gets under way tomorrow and – in so many ways – it couldn’t have come at a better time. For the competition, in general, to start at a time when cricket is truly capturing the hearts and minds of the nation after Sunday’s incredible events – more on that later – is fantastic.
There is always a great atmosphere in T20 cricket and hopefully the crowds will receive an even bigger boost on the back of this week.
For us as a club, we are delighted to get our Birmingham Bears hats on once again.
Make no mistake, the last five weeks have been very demanding for the boys. To play five County
Championship away games in the space of a month would have tested any squad.
And – while that run ended with a defeat at Essex this week – I can go on record and say I’m extremely proud of the whole squad for the way they have conducted themselves throughout that period. We have had a lot thrown at us, injury-wise – both before, during and after games – and, for the Essex game, lost two of our most consistent batsmen in Dominic Sibley and Sam Hain to England Lions duty. We have called a lot on young players over the last few weeks and 18-year-old Dan Mousley was the latest to step up to the plate at Chelmsford. These guys all have a huge amount of promise and will only get stronger the more cricket they play.
I’m really excited about the T20 campaign. Ashton Agar will be a huge plus for us with both bat and ball and the whole squad is packed full of match winners.
We showed last year when we got it right in this format, we were a formidable outfit. The nature of T20 cricket means there will be inconsistencies but hopefully we can have plenty of days when we hit our straps over the next few weeks.
I also think we could make a real impact as a fielding unit. There is a lot of energy in the squad and hopefully we can set some pretty high standards each time we take to the field. Every team will fancy their chances in this format and I’m not going to get drawn into making predictions of what we might or might not achieve.
All we are thinking about at the moment is tomorrow night’s opening game at Worcestershire Rapids. It’s always a big and exciting game and the fact they are defending champions brings a bit of extra spice. We can’t wait for that game or the first home tie against Leicestershire Foxes on Sunday. I’m sure, once again, Edgbaston will be rocking.
As for the World Cup – what a final! Naturally, as a Kiwi, I was disappointed New Zealand couldn’t quite get over the line but it was a fantastic day for cricket as a whole, particularly as the game was broadcast live on terrestrial television in the UK. If I’m honest, I don’t think much went the Black Caps’ way, particularly with the deflection off the bat of Ben Stokes for an additional four runs at such a crucial time.
But neither I nor my fellow countrymen are ones to cry over split milk. Congratulations to England – they have a fantastic oneday side and the scenes at Lord’s on Sunday will live long in the memory. Cricket was certainly the winner.
We showed last year when we got it right, we were a formidable outfit. Hopefully we can have plenty of days when we hit our straps.