By Matthew Fisher
Things didn’t go our way against Worcestershire at Scarborough last week, but we are still very confident of ending the season positively over the next month or so.
Sometimes you just have to accept that a team plays better than you, which was exactly what happened.
From a batting point of view, we thought we’d prepared well. We just didn’t assess conditions quick enough in the first innings in getting 216.
It wasn’t a typical Scarborough wicket. Usually there’s quite a lot of edges to the slips and behind.
If you looked at the dismissals, there weren’t too many edges.
With the bowling, maybe we looked at getting wickets in the wrong way.
On a Headingley pitch, for example, we’d maybe stick in and let the ball do the work. On that pitch, maybe it should have been bang the pitch hard and go short ball a bit earlier than we did – look at other ways of getting wickets.
I always try and look at things ultra critically.
One thing I picked out was that we could have been better at bowling in partnerships. We may have bowled well for six or seven overs, but then we didn’t back it up afterwards.
They played and missed a lot, but that added build-up of pressure may have brought about even more loose shots.
We had a pretty good chat in the changing room afterwards. It wasn’t blaming anyone or bitching, it was honest feedback.
We have certain things we judge ourselves on as a squad, which helps keep us level, preparation being a key one.
It ensures you don’t get too high when you win or too low when you lose.
If you are consistently doing the things you want to do, it will come right.
I felt I went alright with the ball, but it can be much better. It is similar to what I’ve just said for me personally. I need to work at being a little bit more consistent.
I could have also tried a few more bouncers. I got one through early at Daryl Mitchell, which took him by surprise and hit him I think. I also hit him in the belly.
Looking back, I could have gone for a spell of short ball stuff, especially knowing Moeen Ali takes it on.
We’ve had a lot of high pressure cricket of late, including the T20, so the week’s break has come at a decent time, as much as we’d have liked to be involved in the T20 quarter-finals.
The unity is still there, and the squad is in a good place going forwards, even if it may not look like it on the back of a convincing defeat.
Knowing how to play at Headingley, I’m confident of a good performance there against Somerset from Wednesday onwards.
You have to give immense credit to Mitchell and Moeen for the way they played.
It’s always nice to play against the top players, and Mo played absolutely brilliantly.
He was great man off the field as well.
I’d never met him before, but I had a chat with him at the end of the third day, asking him what he felt I did right and wrong.
I asked him whether he’d prefer me swinging it into him predominantly with one that goes across or going across him and swinging the odd one in to try and get him lbw or bowled. That was an interesting chat.
Those two showed us how we should have played on that wicket.
Mitch never got out of gear one and accumulated. Mo counter-punched a bit more even though he minimised the risk as well.
