Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Off-season successes
Head coach Matt Walker is thrilled to see Kent’s players performing overseas.
The English summer may still be more than two months away but plenty of Walker’s troops have found form this winter abroad.
England opener Zak Crawley has produced an unbeaten 54 in the Australian Big Bash League for the Hobart Hurricanes and Jordan Cox is playing in South Africa’s new Betway T20 League.
Kent skipper Sam Billings and teammates Joe Denly and Fred Klaassen are at the inaugural International League T20 competition in the United Arab Emirates while opener Ben Compton has been in Zimbabwe and Alex Blake has impressed in Nepal.
“It’s what you do,” said Walker. “You play competitive cricket - that’s the job. “Of course, there’s times where you need to take a step back and work on a few things technically and try to develop your game in the space of an indoor school or in nets. But there’s only so much an indoor school can give you over a winter period.
“If you can get out and about, and actually train and play at the same time, then that’s much more productive for them. Nowadays, with the way franchise cricket is around the world, there’s so many more opportunities. “It’s a different-looking winter for some of them, playing a lot of whiteball cricket, which is fine.
“For some of them, it’s the right time for that. Obviously Jordan [Cox] has had a real winter of one-day cricket. “We just need to make sure, when they have had a heavy load of whiteball cricket, they manage to transition back into the red-ball format pretty quickly.
“But I think, if you’re playing, there’s no substitute for it. You are learning the game in a different setting and that throws up different scenarios. “There’s different teams you are working with, with different ideas and working with some very good players and coaches, which is all great for their development.
“I would much rather they be somewhere around the world playing, having fun, enjoying their cricket and learning, rather than stuck in indoor schools for long periods. I don’t think that benefits too many people. “There’s definitely a time and place for it. But if you can get out and get around the world, it’s also part of the learning experience of growing up and maturing and having to work it out for themselves a bit, too. That’s important as well.
“So there’s been lots of great experiences for the guys.” While Down Under, Crawley has worked with Hobart Hurricanes’ head of strategy and former Australia Test captain Ricky Ponting. Walker said: “I know he was very much looking forward to that. That will be a great experience.”
Few players remain at Kent at present but Walker doesn’t blame his players for heading for sunnier surroundings. He said: “They’re all playing with the sun on their back, which I think is a much better way to do it. Get out there, practise and play, and play with different players, in different conditions, and work with other coaches.
“They all know what they’re doing. They all have their own personal individual programmes, so they’re all cracking on and doing nicely. “It’s great and I think the reports back have been pretty good. We can see the guys playing franchise cricket around the world a bit closer so everyone is busy, which is great. It’s the world we live in now. “There’s so many more opportunities for players to get out and play cricket in the winter - whether it be club cricket overseas or in a franchise competition. Everyone is busy playing.
“We have got two players now left in the back-end of January and into February, but a few will start coming back in the early part of February. “Come March 13, that’s when we all get together and start pre-season for real.”
Bowler Nathan Gilchrist is part of the England Lions Test squad due to play two four-day Tests against Sri Lanka A, starting from Tuesday, while wicketkeeper-batsman Cox is in the Lions’ one-day international squad due to play three games against Sri Lanka A from February 15.