Essex ace putting body on line again
THE CHANCE to challenge in all three formats may be a welcomed sight for Essex fans, but for fast bowler Matt Quinn, the strain of a hectic schedule is beginning to take its toll.
With Essex atop County Championship Division Two and the South Group of the One-Day Cup and in the hunt for the T20 Blast’s last eight, opportunities for rest have been at a premium in recent weeks.
That, coupled with injury to stalwart David Masters, has further increased the workload for New Zealander Quinn. The 23-year-old bowled 50 overs for the reward of 11 wickets in a losing cause against Gloucestershire at Cheltenham before Essex also lost a T20 to the same opponents on the College ground.
Not that Quinn is planning on throwing in the towel.
“We play so much cricket at the minute that you’re always bowling – you never feel out of rhythm, so that’s one positive to take,” he said.
“But the work on the body is very tough; it’s hard to physically prepare yourself to try and recover and get back being 100 per cent.
“We want to be challenging in all three formats, so we’ll be putting out our best teams.”
Sunday also sees the return of the One-Day Cup, with Essex sitting handsomely at the top of the South Group courtesy of three wins and a tie from their four games.
But after the competition’s extended break, the stoppage arguably came at the wrong time for the Eagles.
And for Quinn, the tournament’s second-highest wicket-taker with nine scalps, Surrey’s visit to Chelmsford provides ample chance for Essex to regain their rhythm.
“It’s not nice to be going into the one-day game with defeats, but we’ve done well in the competition and hopefully we can keep that up,” Quinn added.
“We have a few new faces in the side, guys who have been winning in the shorter format, so I don’t think the defeats will affect us too much with momentum, but it might be in some minds.
“I’ve taken a few wickets, but I don’t expect to go for five an over – every time I’m bowling, batters try to hit me for six so I do what I can.”