I have to admit to being pretty nervous when told by Adam Lyth that I would be making my Yorkshire debut at Sussex last week. But that’s nothing compared to having to sort out the central heating at my new place this week.
Honestly, I have no idea. Give me Air con and I’d be right – no problems at all. But central heating? No chance.
I moved into my own place in Chapel Allerton on Monday, and I’ve got quite a bit to sort given it was completely empty when I arrived. I picked up a Doona (Duvet to you guys) and slept on the floor.
I also realised there was no microwave, so that’s high up on the list of things I need as well.
Matt Milnes has been a big help in terms of getting me sorted with where to live. He’s just around the corner, and a few of the other boys live up this way.
I obviously hadn’t got a clue which areas were nice, what they cost, so I’ve gone on the advice of Milnesy quite a lot.
There are a couple of nice pubs around the Chapel Allerton area, which was a big factor in the move as well.
Monday was a pretty busy day because I also played golf with Jonny Tattersall and commercial director Andy Dawson and Jack Harris from the media team.
I really enjoyed that. Meeting and getting to know people in the office at the club is really important for me as well as getting to know the boys. So that was good fun.
I play off 10 and am very much a social golfer. Having not played for a while, I was pretty shoddy.
Thankfully I was much happier with the way I bowled down at Hove last week.
To take a wicket, I was really happy with that and thought I deserved a few more in that first innings. But I always think that. On another day, it could have gone differently and I’d have had three or four. That’s just the way it is.
It was obviously a disappointing finish to the game for us on Sunday.
We were behind the game for most of it, but a really good bowling performance in the second innings got us ahead. They were really promising signs. Then the rain got us. It always comes when you don’t want it.
We’re getting parts of our game right but not all of it at the moment – we’ve shown flashes of dominance. If we can put it all together, which I think we’re really close to doing, I don’t think any team’s getting close to us.
Ben Coad bowled like an absolute genius on that second morning to get us back into it, and I can’t speak highly enough of him. That was his 10th five-for in first-class cricket.
He averages just over 20, which is pretty unbelievable. I think it’s between him and Sam Cook in county cricket, with their averages pretty similar.
I don’t know how he does it. If I bowled it any slower than I do, I’d just get panned everywhere. But he shows it’s not all about pace. As long as you can put it on a spot and do enough with it, there’s so many wickets there for you.
It certainly does feel like he deserves to be recognised by higher honours – it surprises me he hasn’t been so far.
Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images. Ben Coad
But it’s an absolute pleasure to field at mid-on and mid-off watching him go about his business. He’s so good.
It was a pretty flat wicket down there and, personally, I thought my lengths were relentless.
I didn’t want to be pushing too full and be greedy, trying to take wickets every ball. I was trying to hold an end up, which was quite tricky on that ground because the outfield was really quick as well.
I was happy the way it went. There were definitely nerves there, but I didn’t let them get the better of me.
I’ve had debuts before, and those kind of feelings are the reason you play cricket.
A lot of those nerves were down to my situation and moving to England. Being here on my own, out on a limb – that sort of thing. I’m so far away from everything I’m comfortable with and know.
It’s been a long time coming. I started thinking about coming over here when I was 25, before lockdown. It’s been a good few years in the making. So that’s why I was pleased with how it all went.
The boys have been incredibly supportive of me, and I’ve felt a lot of love in my time here, especially in the last week.
I genuinely couldn’t have settled in any better here.
I already have so much love for the club, the boys and what county cricket’s all about.
It’s surprised me how quickly I’ve felt like that. I thought it would take a bit of time to start my love affair with Yorkshire County Cricket Club, but it’s been a lovely experience.
Photo by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Mickey Edwards
Next week it’s Glamorgan at home, and it will be another good challenge for us with Marnus Labuschagne and Michael Neser in their team. I think I’ve bowled to Labuschagne before but never played against him.
This is the thing I find really interesting about county cricket. No matter the strength of a side, if you get a couple of good overseas players then it completely changes your team.
It really does feel like anyone can beat anyone in this second division – the first division as well.
But we’ve also got lots of quality in our team – Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow’s coming back as well. We’ve got firepower all around, and hopefully it’s a good week for us.
First things first, though, that central heating!
