Geraint Jones: A day in my (Twenty20) life

Spitfires’ Ashes-winning stumper on his pre-match T20 rituals, dressing-room DJs and catching up with fellow veterans of 2005.

12.30pm

We are due start warm -ups around an hour and 15 minutes before the game, but I like to get in early, at least a couple of hours before the start. The games are generally over meal times so I would normally get to the ground and head straight up to get something to eat so it’s out of the way. Once the food is polished off I head down to the dressing room to get changed before going out to have a bat and do some keeping before joining in with the team warm ups.

My individual warm ups can differ, it depends on how the body feels, but I would always look to have a bat before the team warms up and see if one of the lads or coaches can throw balls for me to keep to. I like to use the Katchet boards [luminous, modernistic, mini slip-
cradles –Ed] to warm up my feet for keeping, and I usually spend five or ten minutes on it. In terms of batting, I would face a few throw downs in the nets rather than a bowling machine. At some grounds you may only be able to hit against a net rather than actually bat in one so there isn’t always a chance to use the machine.

1.45pm

I am not too particular with my batting warm up; I just like to feel the bat on ball. As I bat in the middle order I would look at the type of spinners I would be facing and maybe practise a few sweeps or reverse sweeps as well as coming down the track and hitting straight. I try to have a think about the team we are playing against and prepare for thoseopposition bowlers. Once all that is done I like to go out and have a run around with the team and get involved with them so I need to make sure all my personal stuff is out of the way.

The physios will always be busy on a match day. I would tend to see the physio for a rub on my lower back, but there can be a bit of a queue.

2.30pm

Inside the dressing room there is always music playing. Adele seems to be played a lot this year. Darren Stevens has got the jukebox, but we all take it in turns to put some stuff on. I put on Wiz Khalifa’s new song Roll Up recently and when Ashley Shaw took a five-for on his Championship debut we let him put a bit of Bieber on as he is a fan, but that didn’t last too long. Depending on how well your song goes down you might get to have another pick.

I always like to keep my corner of the dressing room organised. Generally my shoes will always be neatly lined up because if I come off from batting and need to get changed quickly then I need to know where my keeping gear is.

I wouldn’t say I am from the Alec Stewart school of neatness, but I am certainly nowhere near as bad as Sam Northeast whose kit always looks like a bombsite. I don’t really mind who I change next to really as long as it’s not Keysy because most of my kit will go missing.

3.00pm

I am not one for a set ritual or routine once the game starts and we are batting. The most important thing for me is to make sure I keep moving because in t20 you might have to run a quick two on your first ball. So most of the time I will be up, moving around and stretching, to keep the legs moving in preparation for my innings. It’s very important to do that sort of thing when you are waiting to bat because if you don’t there is a chance of injury and no one wants that.

The t20 dugout can get a bit busy during a batting innings. I will tend to just get up and move to the side of the dugout to limber up. Some batsmen like to remove themselves to be on their own before they bat, but with t20 you don’t really get a chance. Things happen so fast you can be involved in an instant but also the dugout gets so busy you can’t help but be surrounded by people. For me I don’t have a problem with it, in fact I think it helps the communication of your team.

The Kent guys will often chat about what we think is a decent score and where we think the good scoring areas of the ground are. I think that approach is much better; it’s easier to take on the opposition as a team rather than getting all worked up on your own.

Because I bat in the middle order, if I do get out it is generally at the back end of the overs and because the turnaround is so quick I would normally head straight to the dressing room and get ready for keeping if we have been batting first…

You can read the whole Geraint Jones, a day in my (Twenty20) life feature in the official Kent Cricket Friends Life t20 Tournament Guide. The fifty page guide contains all you need to know, including team by team previews, exclusive player interviews and special features. Pick up your copy for £3 including a free scorecard at any of the Spitfires’ home t20 matches or from the Kent Cricket shop.

Photo by Sarah Ansell from SarahCanterbury.com