Pushing the boundaries is key to success
Great strength of this England T20 team is never resting on our laurels – we keep striving to improve
One of the best things about cricket is the practice – the exploration in the nets
Against Australia last Saturday, we were chasing a smallish target on a good wicket. Once Jason Roy and I got through the first three overs safely, the value of our wickets was not that high. It allowed us to attack without too much fear about losing our wicket – it gave us a lot of freedom to just keep going.
My favourite shot was a six off Adam Zampa. It was premeditated that I was going to run down and hit it straight. I was nowhere near it and just swung through the line and managed to connect – that was one of the cleanest hits I have ever had.
Against Sri Lanka two days later, I found it really, really tough early on. With the low bounce, I did not feel comfortable trying to sweep the ball. At drinks, I was on 24 off 30 balls.
But I managed to come out the other side and attack in the back half of the innings.
There is a lot of talk about match-ups this tournament, and they are important. But you have to react to what is happening on the day. You just have to respect conditions, respect your opposition and not play with too many preconceived ideas. I think a younger version of myself would have felt that pressure a bit more and taken a risk earlier. But with a bit more experience I was able to get to the other end.
After halfway, we thought 140 might be a really good score. Sometimes, when you set sights lower, that takes pressure off as well. If you are finding it difficult, generally the guy who comes in after is probably going to find it difficult as well. So, when you have been in a while on a difficult pitch, you gradually get to the point where you get more comfortable and start to put pressure back on the bowlers. Batting first, the game is not as laid out for you as batting second. You do not have a required run rate – so you have to use your experience, your communication as a team to assess the conditions.
What should we be aiming for? How are we going to get there? What is the best way to do it?
Cricket is a game of decisionmaking. Being able to make decisions quickly under pressure is key to everything.
It was good to have Eoin Morgan at the other end against Sri Lanka, working out how we were going to plan the innings.
After the drinks break, I hit a four straightaway. That got me going. And then we just worked our way through the next 10 overs, trying to target the shorter boundary. One of the great strengths of the team is the depth we have. It allows you to start attacking and not worry too much about losing your wicket.
Against Sri Lanka, it felt like I was bringing all my experience together – both my old role as a finisher and my new one as an opener. It is an exciting thing when I open to know
that if I do take the game deep enough, I can use that other part of my batting. At the death, you normally face a lot of yorkers. Your hands are the most important thing you need. With yorkers, you are trying to get your feet out of the way to be able to get a clearer path and get access to the ball. It is something that I practise a lot, getting someone to throw me a lot of yorkers and hitting them. One of the best things about cricket is the practice – the exploration in the nets. It does not matter if you hit it in the air or get out. It is just free time to be creative, to explore with your technique – you can try different things. That is where you get some of the most enjoyment out of batting – working in the nets and exploring your own game. I was especially pleased with the run-out against Sri Lanka. I throw loads of balls in practice and never hit the stumps!
It does take a lot out of you. T20 is played at really high intensity – there are short, sharp periods where you are using a lot of power and repeated sprints. Physically, it is a really demanding game. Before the World Cup, we had a training camp in Oman to get used to the heat. We are a really fit team, which you need to be at crunch moments in the game.
Of course, it was really nice to get a century, my first for England in T20 cricket. I do not really go in for personal milestones, but they are extra special when they come in games where the team need it. I found out I was the first player to score centuries for England’s men in Test, one-day international and T20 cricket, too.
It is probably something I will think about more at the end of my career. It is nice, but it does not mean too much more. Something I have been getting better at in the past few years is focusing on the next game, and being hungry to do it again.
What has happened is parked now. One of our strengths is that we do not rest on our laurels. We keep trying to get better and keep trying to push the boundaries.