By Graham Hardcastle
Josh Poysden says he has not thought too much about the added responsibility of being Yorkshire’s number one spinner now that Adil Rashid has departed for England duty, instead focusing on enjoying his cricket and attacking with the ball in hand.
The former Warwickshire leg-spinner moved from Edgbaston last August, initially on loan prior to a three-year contract.
Poysden, 27, has played in Yorkshire’s opening five Royal London One-Day Cup games, the last two against Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire without Rashid alongside him.
“It was really nice to play the first three games with Rash,” said the one-time England Lion, who has taken four wickets in all.
“I’ve only spent little periods with him before, so to spend a decent amount of time with him and pick his brains was nice. Chewing the fat about leg-spin with someone as skilful as him will be really beneficial.
“To be honest, when I saw Rash was available, I wasn’t sure I’d play, so it was nice to get that chance.
“I haven’t really thought too much about being the senior spinner now he’s gone. I just crack on and focus on enjoying it.
“Having Jeetan Patel at Warwickshire and Rash here, I haven’t played a lot as a number one spinner. But hopefully it’s something I’m ready for. Bowling at important times is something you want to do in all formats.
“My outlook has been a bit more relaxed this year than it previously has.
“Instead of putting pressure on myself and worrying about my figures, I’ve just tried to enjoy it.
“It’s come out nicely so far, and I’ve picked up a few wickets.
“It’s been really nice to have that backing from Steve Patterson, Andrew Gale and the rest of the coaches.
“The clubs, Warwickshire and Yorkshire, are very similar.
“They’re both big clubs with aspirations of winning all three trophies, and I absolutely loved my time at Edgbaston and don’t have a bad word to say about them.
“Maybe there’s even more expectation here from outside given the club have won 32 Championships and shared one. There’s a lot of amazing history here.
“But I’ve been really impressed with how Galey tries to make sure it’s a nice chilled environment, which fits well with how I’m trying to approach the year.
“We talk about playing brave cricket, and that’s great. Everyone buys into that and supports each other.”
