Griffin is pleased my England duty is over...
I love being in the England environment, so it was great to be with the team during the Pakistan series.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a game – but being with the squad always keeps you hungry and wanting more.
I’d have liked a chance to stake a claim for the World Cup squad during that series, but I’m someone who tries to take the positives from every situation. It was the first time in three years I’d been in the 50-over squad, so to be that close to representing England in the format again means I’m not too down about missing out.
The guys in possession deserve to be there and I’ll just keep working on putting in performances for Sussex.
If you get too disappointed, you can’t be in the right frame of mind if called upon. Who knows what will happen in the coming weeks? It’s a long tournament and you’ve got to be ready if injuries do happen.
I’ll definitely be following the boys’ progress and I wish them nothing but success in the World Cup. That’s the type of unit we are; we really do enjoy each others’ success.
I’ve been in and around the set-up for some time now and I’ve developed some lifelong relationships and not just with Jofra. I’ll be watching closely and hoping the guys go all the way and lift the trophy.
One of the best things about coming back home is the welcome I get from my dog, Griffin. When I’m away, people tell me whenever he hears someone come up in the lift he perks his ears up and wonders if it’s me.
When I opened the door after getting back from England duty, he was there waiting and ready to jump up on me. It’s a nice feeling and you forget about everything else for that moment.
Griff’s not short of people who want to look after him when I’m away. Everyone loves him and wants to spend time with him – particularly Jofra. A lot of people think it’s his dog, the amount of time they see him with him.
It was great to be back with Sussex and put in a performance. I was pretty happy with my century at Northants. Going out there at 67-6, I didn’t envisage it initially, but once Browny and I got going we were able to keep the pressure on the bowlers.
I hadn’t batted in a match for a few weeks, but it’s been the nature of my time with England – and in franchise cricket – that sometimes I play and sometimes I don’t, so I have to find ways of staying match sharp. I try to make sure the intensity of my training is right up there and that goes a long way towards keeping me somewhere near ready when you do step into a match situation.
I’ve batted with Browny a lot and we had a little smile to each other when I joined him in the middle. We tried to have as much fun as possible.
It really is about just going through your processes, taking one ball at a time, seeing off some bowlers, attacking others and building a partnership.
It’s a lesson for everyone. Gone are the days when you can have a side six or seven down and keep rolling them.
People can play right down to eleven. I was thankful we could give us a chance of pushing on for the win.
We couldn’t quite get over the line in the end, but there were a lot of positives for us to take from the game.