By Matthew Fisher
After pulling up with a left side injury during the early stages of Monday’s pre-season friendly against Leicestershire at Grace Road, which we thought was pretty bad at the time, scans have since confirmed a tear.
We’re probably looking at six weeks before I can get back to playing as a bowler, but I’m hoping to be able to bat within three or four weeks.
Fingers crossed, they let me play in the seconds as a batsman and for Sheriff Hutton Bridge as well.
I felt it on one of the balls in my first over – it was quite late on in that over. Then, in the second over, it got a little bit worse.
After that, I chatted to Andrew Hodd and Adam Lyth, and they said ‘Get yourself and see what it’s like’ because we obviously knew beforehand that Liam Plunkett was going to the IPL and Dave Willey was maybe going as well.
It’s one of those things where you get handed challenges throughout your career, and I’ve had a quite a few now. It’s not as if I don’t know how to deal with them!
Obviously I’m disappointed, and getting away from the ground this weekend is going to be the best thing for me because, following the injury, I was told that I would have been playing.
That’s what the plan is.
There’s not much our physio Ku can do in the first week, so it’s important I stay away because it can get at you mentally.
This first week will be about chilling out, and then it’s a case of taking each day as it comes in terms of rehab work. Sometimes your symptoms might look really bad at the start or even quite good. But then when you start doing stuff in the gym, it feels better or worse than you thought.
Part and parcel of a muscle injury is that you have to actually give it some after a week or two to get it recovering again. You have to push it a little bit so that it adapts quicker.
All of the lads have messaged me and said they’re gutted for me. I’ve had chats with a couple of people, and it makes you feel much better when you have that support.
I’ll certainly be supporting them from afar against Essex and checking in on the scores on my phone and things like that.
As a group, we’ve made a real effort, and everyone’s taken responsibility with regards to looking at themselves in the mirror following last year.
There were stern words said after that last game at Essex in September, and a lot of the senior players have got a lot of stick, whether it be from fans, members or the hierarchy at the club. Whether they deserved it or not, that’s not for me to say.
But those lads have been absolutely brilliant. They’ve given 100 percent right through the winter.
All of them who you would see as role models were quick to message me this week and take the time out to see how I was. As I said, it was really appreciated.
The standards they’ve set have been top drawer, and it bodes well for the summer ahead.
We have lost a few players, but I feel like our younger lads who may play a bigger part as a result are getting better. No matter how many players we’re missing, though, we’ll still find a way to get our best performances out there.
Like Galey said on Twitter the other night, whoever we put out on the park will give it their all and perform for the county with pride.
I’m gutted to lose 2 front line seamers in 3 days on the eve of the season but we still have players who will give everything for the white rose and I believe in them. They won’t let anyone down. https://t.co/mFN27NxriU
— Andrew Gale (@GaleyLad) April 9, 2018
Going back to my injury to finish, a rough guide for my return is the early stages of Royal London one-day Cup in mid to late May.
With five Championship games coming thick and fast at the start of the summer, there is going to be a lot of work for the bowlers who are fit and available.
For me to come in and be fresh is vitally important so that I can help ease that load and contribute to a successful start in that competition.
That is why it’s important for me to get the disappointment out of my head quickly and make sure I’m not still sulking by the time I come to hitting my rehab, which I will be doing with full enthusiasm.
