Mason enthused by Foxes attack

Leicestershire CCC Head Bowling Coach Matt Mason knows that there are lots of different theories around the role of bowlers in cricket.

However, he has a philosophy that has stood Worcestershire in good stead in recent seasons both as a player and coach: do the basics extremely well, be consistent, and have wickets in the forefront of your mind.

“The game is a simple one for me; it’s about taking wickets and shaping the bowling group to take 20 wickets in every Specsavers County Championship game,” said Mason.

“No matter what happens with the bat, the bowlers will have to be able to capitalise and also get us back into games at time, which essentially is done by taking wickets. The skills, professionalism and disciplines are vital but everything will be done with taking 20 wickets in mind.

“It also goes for white ball cricket, as we know that taking wickets can disrupt the flow of batsmen in the shorter formats, especially T20.

“We have some really exciting talent and I am looking forward to working with all of the bowlers. I know some of them and will be getting to know everyone else.”

On the subject of developing younger seamers, Mason sees the role of both Muhammad Abbas and Sohail Khan as key. The duo are sharing overseas duties for the 2018 season and Mason knows they have a huge part to play in 2018 both on and off the field.

He said: “When you bring guys in from the international game it’s vital that you learn from them and let them almost work alongside me because they have the experience of bowling against some of the world’s best batsmen in difficult conditions. 

“There will be lots of ideas that we can kick around and then shape our bowling unit. It’s also just good to watch them in action; they’re playing international cricket for good reason and it’s exciting to see them. 

“It’s positive to go down the overseas route for seam bowlers because if you don’t take 20 wickets regularly then you won’t be winning games. We have the batting talent, and as I said before, those 20 wickets are vital.

“I see my role as making sure that Nico [Paul Nixon] and Sads [John Sadler] have the most talented group of seam bowlers possible at their disposal. 

“That means the whole bowling group but we also have to bring through our own players regularly as that can only help the overall process. Having experienced bowlers around them will help in that respect.”

Mason has worked closely with Zak Chappell on the ECB Pace Programme recently and also knows Richard Jones from his time with Worcestershire. 

He said: “I saw Richard Jones through the Academy years at Worcestershire, I played a little bit alongside him, and he was still playing when I started my coaching career at New Road. 

“He won’t mind me saying that I have been frustrated by him because I think he should have achieved so much more in the game. 

“I hope that he sees my arrival here as an opportunity to reconnect and for me to help him discover his best form, because he is still a young man, he is an incredible athlete and on his day is a sensational bowler. 

“I want to help him get the best out of himself and get more consistent performances because there is the talent there, definitely. I’ve seen him do great things in his career but I think that he would agree that it hasn’t been consistent enough. We’ll work hard on that.”

* Follow the Foxes and join Team Leicestershire for the 2018 season by becoming a Premium Member of the club. For further details on the advantages of joining us, please follow the link HERE