Ned Eckersley interview - part one

Date: Friday 03 February 2012

Leicestershire batsman and wicket-keeper Ned Eckersley gained plenty of experience and perspective from a six-week pre-Christmas cricket trip to Zimbabwe.

Eckersley, who penned a two-year contract with Leicestershire after impressing in 2011, saw how cricket is flourishing in a country that has only recently returned from a six-year test exile.

The 22-year-old used the opportunity to play first-class, List A and t20 cricket and learnt from his Mountaineers colleagues, including Durham captain Phil Mustard and Australia star Dirk Nannes.

Eckersley also played against Chris Gayle, Dirk Nannes, Ryan ten Doeschate and a host of county players in the Stanbic Bank 20 competition, which proved a real success.

Eckersley’s team came out on top in t20 and the trip was also a personal success. The youngster averaged 27 in List A and t20 as well as making a top-score of 85 in the Castle Logan first-class competition.

The batsman averaged 31.5 in four-day cricket and underlined his potential as a talented gloveman by snapping up 15 catches in just three matches.

Eckersley said that the tour taught him some life lessons as well as providing a fantastic cricket education and provided ideal preparation for his first full season on the Leicestershire staff,

He said: “The trip was arranged towards the end of October and came out of the blue really. I’d never been to Zimbabwe before. I’d been to Australia four years ago so this was pretty much my first overseas trip.

“I really enjoyed it. It’s a different world and it’s good to face the challenges that come with it. Cricket is playing a big part in Zimbabwe’s recovery. There is a long way to go but they’re making steady progress.

“There were a lot of English guys and Australian guys and international players for the twenty20 especially. There are also players who play the full season like Paul Horton from Lancashire. Adam Wheater (Essex) has done it for a couple of years now and enjoyed it so cricket in Zimbabwe is getting a good reputation.

“Dirk Nannes played for our Mountaineers side and I faced Shaun Tait, which was an experience. Chris Gayle came out for twenty20 and he kept knocking balls out of the park!

“Ryan ten Doeschate, Peter Trego and Rory Hamilton-Brown all played for Eagles, so there were lots of guys who have played in big twenty20 competitions around the world. It was great to pit my skills up against those players and test myself out. Everybody enjoyed it. It is a great country to play cricket.”

Eckersley was impressed with the wickets he played on and said that everybody is making an effort to improve facilities. This, plus the introduction of top-class coaches, can only help Zimbabwe’s young talent according to the Leicestershire man.

He said: “The wickets were very good. The twenty20 tournament was based at Harare and that is a test match ground. The groundsman prepared some excellent wickets.

“There was a bit in it for the bowlers in early games but it became very batsmen-friendly by the end and some big scores were posted. Chris Gayle and Ryan ten Doeschate each made hundreds and Peter Trego scored a lot of runs too.

“We moved about a fair bit. In some places, where there are international stadiums like Harare, the facilities are pretty good. We were based in a more remote place on the border of Mozambique.

“The facilities weren’t bad but they were not up to the standards of other places. It is a challenge for the people there to find players to play when facilities aren’t as good as they might be for first-class cricket. They know that and are working so hard to improve things.

“There are so many talented young cricketers in Zimbabwe and it was a pleasure to play alongside and against them. Jason Gillespie, Kevin Curran and Dave Houghton were among the various coaching staffs and the youngsters will learn lots from them.

“All three played cricket at the very top and will pass on their expertise. Zimbabwean cricket is definitely going in the right direction and I’m sure more players will go out to play there next winter. It is an exciting time for Zimbabwe.”

Keeping duties belonged to Eckersley in the first-class games while experienced Durham man Mustard took the gloves in the t20 tournament. Mustard has played for England and also won various trophies with Durham, so proved to be an excellent role model for the aspiring batsman/keeper.

However, the Leicestershire man wouldn’t have thanked Mustard for being behind the wicket in the game against Gayle’s Matabeleland Tuskers side as he had the unenviable task of trying to stop the ball in the outfield!

The West Indies batsman plundered 61 from 38 balls and then took 4-22 in a matchwinning performance. To show how well Gayle played, that game proved to be Mountaineers solitary defeat in the Stanbic Bank 20 tournament.

“I was fielding when Chris Gayle played and the first thing you notice is that he hits the ball incredibly hard,” said Eckersley. “His bat is about four pounds and I don’t know how he picks it up!

“Once he gets going, once he’s in the mood and starts hitting balls cleanly, it’s almost impossible. Wherever you bowl, he can hit the ball a long way and it’s hard to stop in the field when it’s being hit with such force. You can get him out early but it doesn’t happen very often! We did alright against him; he didn’t take the game away from us completely.

“Phil Mustard was really helpful. We were the two English guys in the Mountaineers side and we spent a lot of time chatting about cricket and playing golf when we weren’t playing. He was very open about his career, both in terms of how he’s been going about it and what he wants to do in the future. It was great to talk to Phil and learn from him.”

In the second part of the interview, which will be published in due course, Eckersley talks about the upcoming season with Leicestershire.

* Thanks to Leicester Mercury for providing the photo of Ned Eckersley.