Reece: Health scare brought us together
SCORING 97 against your former side and rounding off with a new deal may appear the perfect debut campaign but for Luis Reece it was far from plain sailing.
The Derbyshire all-rounder suffered a viral-induced heart scare whilst running in to bowl against Northamptonshire in June, something which left him hospitalised and out of action for the best part of a month.
Thankfully no permanent damage was done but Reece, 27, said: “It was a bit concerning. My dad, Phil, had just had a heart attack so I think that was going through my mind and made it more of a concern. Thankfully both me and my dad have made a full recovery.
“It was a bit of a weird thing to be honest. I was very short of breath and a bit faint running into bowl. It wasn’t something I expected to be that serious.
“When I came off the field I thought I was coming back on eventually but I was rushed to hospital and there for three days.
“It was only a couple of weeks out and I managed to get back in the team shortly after.”
Reece also praised the entire Derbyshire playing and coaching staff for their support and believes the experience helped bring him closer to his teammates.
He said: “It has been up and down a bit. Up on the field and a few downs off the pitch.
“I think the lads at Derby have shown great support to me during that time, as has my partner and my family. I think Derby has a very family orientated atmosphere.
“It’s weird how these down things can bring people closer together and the group helped in difficult circumstances. It showed to me how great these lads are and would go the extra mile to help their teammates.”
The former Lancashire lefthander was able to rediscover his form at the end of the summer and not only finished the campaign by signing a new deal but has been auctioned to play for the Chittagong Vikings in November’s Bangladesh Premier League.
And the former Lancashire man admits he was initially taken aback by the news but is looking forward to linking up with the likes of Liam Dawson, Luke Ronchi and Misbah-ul-Haq for the T20 competition.
“My agent put my name into the auction and he’d been speaking to a few people out there. But I wasn’t expecting anything,” Reece said.
“When I got the call after the auction had taken place and I had been picked up it was something I was surprised and excited about. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to and will try and get everything I can out of it.
“I’ve never been to Bangladesh before. I’ve heard some interesting stories but it’s going to be a great experience and I’m sure it will be a lovely part of the world and it’s nice to get involved in different cultures.
“I’m looking forward to improving on handling spin out there. Hopefully that can help take Derby to the next level, too.”