Even though there’s still a week to go, pre-season is about to come to an end. While I was hoping to have hit the ground running with Prince Alfred, unfortunately, it hasn’t entirely gone to my expected plan. My bowling, which I still consider my stronger suit, hasn’t wholly produced the consistency I was after while my batting had lacked fluency, which did bring my confidence down. It was so bad that I wanted a session with just the bowling machine alone, which I managed to do on Monday with the assistant coach Keegan English feeding balls into the machine.
Before that session, I actually revised my batting routine, mainly how I lift the bat. When I went out to face the machine, I remembered exactly what I needed to do, which then not only allowed me to time the ball but also to hit it with some power. Keegan having wanted to analyze me to find faults with my technique, simply said that he couldn’t find anything. In the end, I told him that I had a routine and wanted to make sure I followed it, which I did. After that, even though I was facing slower bowlers, I felt more confident also though I should avoid trying to play across the line against the spinners.
I am more disappointed though my bowling hasn’t entirely developed as I liked due to the inconsistency of the line and length that could be brutally exposed. But a chat with Ben Lobban certainly has raised my spirits. He reckons that after facing me, he would have thought that I would be a convenient addition to his side’s bowling stocks. Having asked him further where he usually plays, he told me its B grade. While I started thinking that it would be a dream to play 1st/2nd XI cricket for a club, he quickly advised me that I’ll probably start in C grade which is fine as long as I can get some overs in every game I play (which he thinks will be a given).
Anyways, I shouldn’t be worrying too much how I’m going right now because Ben reckons that I am doing really well, and others had mentioned this as well.
The moral of the story then…… Quit worrying and start believing. Who knows what happens next?
Diary of a Grade Cricketer 