Erin Thomas has reflected on a “really valuable” experience at last month’s Under 19s T20 World Cup in Malaysia, believing she has returned to Yorkshire with her game in good order ahead of the forthcoming summer.
The emerging batter, who signed her maiden professional contract at Headingley earlier this winter, was part of the England squad who reached the semi-finals before being beaten by eventual champions India.
Thomas, 18, only played two matches, with scores of two and nought. But that doesn’t account for the development in her game away from the middle.
“It wasn’t ideal in terms of my performances, but the chances and opportunities I got were really good,” said the teenager from Drax.
“The pitches were a lot different to what I’ve been used, and I struggled a bit with that. But overall, it was a really good experience – really valuable.
“The team were fantastic and really supportive.
Picture by Matt King – Getty Images. Erin Thomas bats against Ireland at last month’s World Cup in Malaysia.
“Yes, I’m going to be disappointed that I didn’t get a score or two, but at the same time I was able to train nearly every day and I’ve learnt so many different things from working with different coaches and different players.
“I can take all that into this season at Yorkshire.”
Thomas continued: “Getting some low scores as a batter, it’s part and parcel of it. It’s going to happen. But it’s about learning from it and kicking on.
“Since I’ve been back, I’ve been working really hard with Rich (Pyrah) and Bricey (Chris Brice) to make sure I learn from it and don’t see it as a negative thing. I’ll be ready to go to Abu Dhabi next month in a positive mindset, and I’m really excited for that.”
Thomas is an aggressive batter who has impressed in the Yorkshire age-groups and the old Northern Diamonds Academy.
Asked about what she worked on away from game days in Malaysia, she said: “At training, we faced a lot of net bowlers, which was a great experience because they were turning it a lot.
Picture by Matthew Lewis – Getty Images. Erin Thomas is confident her game has progressed since the start of the year.
“And that’s something I’ve been working on – playing against spin.
“I practiced that a lot in training, and in a warm-up game it went really well. I delivered with my skills in that game, and hopefully I can take that forwards into this season.
“In the women’s game, you’re going to face a lot of spin.
“I’ve been working really hard on my plans against spin, and I’m very excited to put those into action. Hopefully it will bring me some success and I can take some out of the ground as well.
“I definitely feel a lot more confident in that area of my game.”
Thomas is now back in training at Headingley, building up to the late-March pre-season tour of Abu Dhabi.
Picture by Matthew Lewis – Getty Images. Yorkshire star Erin Thomas trains with England Under 19s.
“Honestly, I love being in this environment at Yorkshire, and it’s been really good since I came back,” she continued. “The training has stepped up. The girls are getting on really well and looking very, very good in the nets.
“The team’s very tight-knit. Yes, we have a few players overseas, but I’ve no doubt that with the environment we’ve created, they’ll only add to that and make it even better. Whatever happens in the season, we have that team-morale and tightness. That can only serve me well.
“I’ve never been to Abu Dhabi, but I’ve heard a lot of nice things about the place and the facilities.
“It’s another warm place to go, so I’ll be taking more suncream than I did to Malaysia because I got a bit burnt!”
At the start of this winter, women’s head coach Rich Pyrah told the players to be open to developing different skills and taking on different roles within Yorkshire’s squad and team.
Thomas is a top order batter, but as a junior the York-born star was a regular bowler of seam up: “I used to steam in,” she chuckled. And that is something she is keen to resurrect.
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com. Erin Thomas has loved working with Yorkshire women’s coaching duo Chris Brice (l) and Rich Pyrah (r) this winter.
“Yeah, I used to bowl quite a lot growing up, playing Under 13s cricket for Yorkshire for example,” she added. “But I got a stress fracture in my back when I was 13 or 14. That slowed it down.
“I’m looking forward to hopefully playing franchise cricket in the future, and I know how important it is to be an all-rounder and have a number of different strings to your bow.
“I haven’t actually worked on my bowling too much up to now because I was told that I wasn’t going to bowl at the World Cup, so I concentrated on my batting. But it’s definitely something I want to work on and get back into.
“Rich, I’ve loved working with him so far. He’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever worked with. Him and Bricey are so good.
“I’ve not done any bowling work with him, but I have with my batting. And looking at the work he’s done with the bowlers – seam and spin – there’s been a lot of progression.”
Thomas, a talented junior tennis player – she played with Noah Kelly at county level, is also exploring the possibility of spending next winter in Australia. First things first, however, and she has a summer to attack. And despite some recent challenges, she seems very well placed for success wearing that white rose.
