Ingram relishes challenge
Skipper lays down the law for his teammates
COLIN Ingram describes himself as a simple kind of guy.
And when you speak to him, you quickly realise there are no grey areas in his cricket philosophy. Matters are either black or white, there is no room for middle ground with the newly-appointed Warriors skipper Colin Ingram.
Born the son of Protea farmer Clive, it was almost written in the stars that Ingram would eventually go on to represent the Proteas. But progression as a cricketer did not come as easy as that for the 29-year-old Ingram. After a promising career as a schoolboy at Woodridge College, Ingram moved to Bloemfontein along with Rusty Theron and Craig Thyssen to pursue careers with the Eagles.
When Russell Domingo became Warriors coach, he and former chief executive Dave Emslie hatched a plan to get all three players back. Ingram was given a Warriors contract but lost it again after struggling for form.
But Ingram is the perfect example of how hard work and determination pays off. He bounced back and went on to regain his contract and represent South Africa. Ingram knows what it feels like to struggle and also has first-hand knowledge of success. It is this experience he brings to a Warriors side desperate for success this season.
“You have to put in the hard yards and come with a good attitude to work and I think in that way a lot of the small things will take care of themselves,” said the lefthanded batsmen who doubled as a professional for Somerset during the South African winter.
Normally approachable and friendly, Ingram’s brow became furrowed when demanding from his players what he expected of them this season.
“At the moment, the Warriors are sort of rebuilding and I want guys to know that I need full buy-in from everyone. I don’t think we have place for passengers at the moment. We don’t have a lot of superstar senior players who are going to win us games out of nowhere and that’s an exciting thing for me because that means everyone has to contribute.
“For me, it’s about creating that awareness early on in the piece. Most of the guys know me pretty well and which direction I want to take the team in.
“I’m a pretty simple guy and I’ve been around in this system for a long time. It’s not rocket science for me. I think guys need to get to know their own game plans and maybe themselves a bit better. We focus a lot on team culture and I want guys to know where they are going to contribute with bat, ball or in the field or wherever it is. And then back that up with a good attitude.”
Warriors coach Piet Botha had little doubt in who to select as his captain after feeling the side needed a change of ideas in leadership.
“Colin is the hard worker in the group. If you have a young squad, all you want is for someone to set the example all the time. It’s sometimes just the simple things like respecting the game and putting in the work. Ultimately, as an individual, it’s about getting the best out of other individuals to create a team and I think Colin possesses those skills,” Botha said.
And what kind of captaincy can cricket pundits expect from Ingram this season?
“I like to let the situation show me the way. So there will be time for attack and there will be time to hold tight. In my own game over the years, that’s where I’ve really tried to focus on and I’ve sort of developed my game that way. So if we need to go at three runs an over, get three runs an over. If we need six or 10, that what we need to get. I like winning. I’m not very good at losing.”
Ingram had a successful time with Somerset towards the end of the English summer.
“It was only a short stint for five weeks but I got a lot of cricket in. Seven one-day games, four T20s and a four-day game. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a bit of a change in environment. I got a lot of scores, not too many three-figure scores so I left a few out there so I’d like to go back at some stage. But it was a nice sort of pre-season for myself seeing a different set-up which I’ve always wanted to experience.”
He made 298 runs in seven limited overs matches at Somerset at an average of 42.57 with three fifties and a strike rate of 80-plus. He averaged almost 32 in his four T20s at a strike rate of almost 170 runs per 100 balls.
So it seems Ingram will be bringing some good form into the season which starts with the multi-day Sunfoil Series against the Knights in Bloemfontein on Thursday.
The Warriors’ Achilles heel in past seasons has been the lack of consistent opening batsmen. But last season they found regular contributors in David White and Michael Price. Colin Ackermann is another player who has weighed in with solid performances so from a youngsters point of view there has been substantial improvement.
Ingram will be hoping those younger players build from where they left off last season as he attempts to bring back the glory days of a few seasons ago when the Warriors were a consistent force in domestic cricket.