By Matthew Fisher
Warwickshire at York, in my home city, is a game which stuck out on the fixture list when I saw it before Christmas. It would be great to play in, but we’ll have to see what happens over the next few days with selection.
After my injuries and some second-team cricket, I was happy to be in the squad at Guildford because, when you’re around the first team, you learn so much, be it off Test cricketers in our squad or even watching how someone like Morne Morkel goes about things.
I am someone who is very particular about my preparation. It gets to me if I don’t do the right things. So to be able to do some work with Rich Pyrah, our bowling coach, and to tick a few boxes was really beneficial for me.
Performance wise in the second team, I haven’t taken a load of wickets, but I feel I have been bowling well and my intensity’s gone up each week. I feel like I’m ready to be called upon if needed. Maybe York will be the week.
We know that we won’t have Dom Bess, who has gone back to Somerset, so it will be interesting to see how the pitch is. It may be that we go with an all seam attack. If we go five seamers, I would think it will be between myself and Maty Pillans for the final place.
If I am playing, hopefully a lot of family will be there to watch.
There will be so many familiar faces in the crowd. It would be great fielding at fine-leg to see people you’ve played with or against in league cricket. It will only make it more special. I know a lot of lads at my club have been trying to book days off work to get down to the game, and I’m sure that will be exactly the same elsewhere.
It would be incredible if they can get 4,000-5,000 there. That would be an amazing atmosphere.
Be it fans or players, I’m sure they will all really enjoy the week in York. I know I’m biased, but I still don’t think I’ve seen a nicer place on my travels around the country.
I’m going to be staying with my Mum, but I’m not 100 percent sure what the other lads are doing – staying or commuting.
If I am playing, and I’d have to check this with Mum – but some could stay at Hotel de Fisher! Given my brothers are down south now, there’s a couple of spare rooms.
I haven’t been around the first team that much over the last few weeks, but it sounds like we have been playing some good cricket and have been unfortunate with the weather. I was speaking to Tom Kohler-Cadmore in the dressing room the other day, and he was saying the home games against Hampshire and Essex were games we had every chance of winning but for the rain.
Had that been the case, we could be right up there alongside Somerset now.
But we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves. We know from when won those Championship titles, we just have to keep playing consistent cricket and then win the two games against Somerset. I’m sure they will lose a game because it’s tough to go a full season unbeaten.
It’s a shame that it looks like Duanne Olivier won’t be playing at York due to his hip injury because he’s our X Factor. But he’s bowled a lot this season, and he’s putting everything through his body every ball given the style of bowler he is.
Someone has got to come in and fill that spot now, although probably without bowling bouncers at the speed of light like he does.
I don’t mind bowling the odd bouncer, and it is a good feeling to hit a batsman on the head – certainly after you have checked they’re ok anyway.
Duanne is not doing it to hurt a batsman, he is doing it to set them up and get them out. It’s a good tool to use because it takes the batsman’s feet out a bit. They don’t come as far forwards afterwards, and then you’re looking at lbws and nicks.
Thankfully, the way helmets are these days, you know as a bowler that it’s going to have to be a freak incident for anything bad to happen. It’s massive kudos to the helmet manufacturers that they’re pretty much indestructible.
Finally, I’m good mates with Harry Brook and am convinced he will come back strong from what has been just a minor setback for him being left out of the side.
Brooky is one of the most talented young batsmen in the country. I think everyone can see that. He plays with flair and a lot of positivity, which a lot of young batsmen do these days.
It’s tough for any batsman opening, especially a young player who hasn’t yet nailed his method. That’s the same for me, I’m still working on stuff all the time to see what works best.
He knows himself that he’s a good player and has that confidence. If he plays again soon, it will probably be in the middle order, which suits him more.
But Will Fraine has started well opening the batting and played nicely in the last two games. If that can be solid between him and Lythy, hopefully there will be more competition in the middle order, which will be a great thing.
