JOE SAYERS - CRICKET: IT'S MY PASSION

JOE SAYERS
By JMB
March 25 2007

In association with Yorkshire CCC we are running a series of pre-season player interviews. The latest player in the spotlight is JOE SAYERS. I met Joe at Headingley where he had finished his final week of training before heading off to La Manga on Monday with the rest of the Yorkshire squad.

I started by asking him how he has been spending the winter months.

The first two months of the off-season were spent teaching at St Aidans School in Harrogate. I spent some time there in the P.E. department and then I also taught the A-level physics group for their coursework and helped with the A-level sports science group. That was the first two months and that was quite an enjoyable experience. I then started to make plans for a trip abroad of some kind. India was a possibility and then the possibility of Cape Town came up so I started making preparations for that. In the meantime I was doing all of the off-season training and rehab that we’ve been led to do by the relationship with Leeds Met.

What training you do? What aspects of technique have you been working on?

Our training is split into the technical work we do as cricketers and the fitness training that we’re currently doing as a squad with Dean Riddle. That programme has been running since before Christmas, starting out with setting up a base level of cardio-vascular fitness involving a lot of cycling, running, swimming and rowing. Now we’ve got to the stage where it has got more specific to our role in the side. As a batsman I’m doing a lot of sprints, a lot of shuttles and a lot of work in the gym here at Headingley, lifting weights. All quite painful sessions really, but it will pay off. In terms of the cricket, there’s technical work and training being done in the nets as a squad, but also through one-to-one sessions with Kevin Sharp and a few off-spinners as well in the net sessions.

A lot of people have said that Dean Riddle’s arrival has been exciting. Do you feel fitter this year as a player?

Personally I feel in good shape. My fitness results have shown that I am in as good shape as I’ve been in before, if not better shape, and there are certainly efforts being made at the moment to address the fitness side of things and build up a decent level of fitness before the season starts. We’re going away to La Manga next week and I would have thought that will be centred on a lot of fitness training as well. Currently, levels are at a very professional level really.

Will there be room for a couple of beers at La Manga in amongst all of the work?

Possibly, we’ve got to wait and see. We’ve got a basic itinerary that’s been given to us, but how exactly that works out is yet to be seen.

What part of your game do you think that your trip to South Africa has helped you with most?

Big question – there were certainly aspects of the technical side of my game that were improved out in Cape Town. I deliberately went out there with quite an open mind and with very few expectations and I think that helped because I learnt lessons that I wasn’t really expecting to learn out there. There were sides of my game, such as the mental aspects that we worked on quite a lot out there. I found quite significant improvements in that. There were also technical improvements made which were based around the basics of technique.

When you met the psychologists, Ken Jennings, in South Africa was there anything you were particularly looking for help with?

We had a lot of chats out there based around the mental side of the game, but also based around the management of emotions as a sportsman, which is a key part of being a consistent sportsman over a long period. One of the key parts for me was turning my focus to the process I was going to put in place to be consistently successful over a long period and being more mindful of my process and the small steps that I put in place to apply that, rather than being focussed on outcome which is uncontrollable. As a sportsman there are certain things within your control such as your preparation, lifestyle, diet and fitness levels that you can put in place at will on a consistent basis. There are also parts of your game that are totally out of your control such as the weather conditions, the umpiring decisions and that kind of thing. The idea of being mindful of your process is about putting in place the controllable aspects of your game and giving yourself the best chance to do well. There is no guarantee of a successful outcome as there are so many uncontrollable aspects of our sport that can dictate to us rather than us dictating to the game, so the idea of a sportsman’s process really is about controlling what he can and not spending important energy on things that he can’t.

You mention in your letter of thanks to The Corridor’s readers that you spent time with Geoffrey Boycott in South Africa. What do you learn from someone like him?

 

You learn a great deal from someone like Geoff Boycott because he is an extremely knowledgeable person and cricketer with a passion for the game which doesn’t seem to have dimmed since he retired as a player. In my discussions with Geoffrey I talked about batting specifically and about opening the innings, generally in the longer form of the game, and the mindsets required to do that successfully. Geoffrey spoke about some of his experiences as a player and as an international opening batsmen. All of what he said was extremely useful to me. I think it is important to be able to listen to past players like that and to use their experiences because after all it’s a very similar game now as it was when Geoffrey played.

 

It’s still a bat and ball isn’t it?

 

Absolutely right and the basics are still the same.

 

I suppose there is no one better to learn from, in the English game anyway.

 

No, there are very few people who are in the same league as Geoffrey, in terms of knowledge and expertise and application to his task and his professionalism. I just count myself lucky and fortunate to be able to spend time with him.

 

At the start of last season people spoke about Matthew Wood and yourself as being the opening partnership for years to come. What went wrong? Did you feel like you had blown your opportunity for the rest of the year?

 

The early stage of last season was a very challenging one for me because I went through an experience there that I hadn’t really gone through as a professional cricketer before. There are a number of reasons for that I think. I don’t think there was a specific reason. I didn’t think that I’d blown my chances for the rest of the year because I’m very aware that the situation in sport and cricket more specifically, can change very quickly and to look too far ahead of yourself and look at possibilities of success over a period of a number of years is not beneficial for anybody really. I was just very pleased with the way that I tackled that situation and came back from that and I think I learnt a great deal by going through that experience last season and regard myself as a better player and a more rounded person for that.

As a cricketer who ends up playing professionally you will have always been one of the better players in all of the teams you have played in growing up – was early 2006 one of the first times you’d struggled in that way?

 

To a certain extent yes, but I think that those experiences are as valuable, if not more valuable, as the days where it does really click and go well. Having spoken to a number of past players over the last five weeks in Cape Town, and previously in my short career, when they talk about experiences when they found it hard out in the middle I think that’s when there’s most to learn. Everybody does go through it regardless of how good they are and as a sportsman it’s about how you deal with those situations.

 

Do you think you could contribute to one-day cricket?

 

I’m hoping so. At the moment I’m looking at ways in which I can tackle that part of my game and the roles which I might be able to fulfil to be able to contribute. Although I haven’t had a great deal of experience of one-day cricket at first class level so far in my career I am very keen to expand as a player in that way and hopefully contribute to a more successful one day season for the team. I think that is an important aim for this season.

 

Do you set yourself targets for the season or do you just take it as it comes?

 

I think there’s an element of taking it as it comes. I think, as Darren Gough has mentioned in a number of interviews since his arrival here, enjoyment of our cricket is a big part of our aims for the coming season, both as a team and individually as well because we all trust in the fact that when we do enjoy our cricket we give ourselves the best chance of playing at our best. Run targets are tempting for some and work for some people, but the idea of looking at an overall total for the season is a long way off and I’m currently looking at where I am at the moment and the next small step that I can take along the path.

 

So when you’ve got a thousand runs by the start of August you can start thinking a bit further ahead then?

 

Exactly (laughs).

 

Are there any major influences on your game or heroes as a child?

 

In terms of model players that I look at there aren’t many that spring to mind. I take certain elements of players that I grew up watching and certain elements of current players that I’d like to bring into my game. I watched some footage the other day of Michael Atherton when he was facing Allan Donald in that famous Trent Bridge Test match. Certainly his application, determination and obvious mental skill are something that I always looked up to.

 

There wasn’t really anyone I wanted to become when I was younger as I think I was still figuring out who I was as a player. At Under-12 for Yorkshire I used to open the bowling and bat down the order and then the batting started to develop.

 

Do you think that University cricket (even if for the wrong one) was helpful in your development by providing early exposure to county attacks, or would it have been more beneficial (from a purely cricketing perspective) to have gone through the Yorkshire Academy?

 

I look back at the games I played for the UCCE as being very beneficial to my development because I played first class cricket earlier than I may have done if I had stayed at the county here. I also got the chance to captain in first class cricket while I was at Oxford and that was an extremely valuable experience in my second year there. I came away from Oxford with a decent knowledge of first class cricket and what I had to put in place and how I had to improve to make a success of being a first class cricketer here at Headingley. That is not to say that time spent at the Academy would be less beneficial because it does an excellent job of developing youngsters. I’ve got no regrets about the path that I’ve taken. I think my education has been an important part of my development as a person more than anything else. The chance to study at Oxford for three years is not to be taken lightly so I would definitely make the same decisions.

 

So as a player for a university you play for them during the summer term and then return to the club during the summer holidays?

 

Yes that’s right, I’d play the first class games through the summer term and once that finished with the Varsity match at Lord’s, which was the last game of the season, I’d come back here and end up playing just over half a season.

 

So you got the best of both worlds so the question is irrelevant.

 

(Laughs)

 

Which college were you at while at Oxford University and do you think the pitches at The Parks are still too slow and inconsistent to get the best out of batsmen?

 

I was at Worcester College in Oxford. In my first year there the pitch was voted the second best in the country after The Oval. Admittedly after that we had a dry spring I think and the wickets seemed to crack and lose pace and there was a bit of uneven bounce, but from my experience the first class teams that have come and played at The Parks have been quite pleased at the university pitches there. I think they are excellent facilities for the development of university cricketers and even first class players.

 

How does it feel when people call you FYC (Future Yorkshire Captain) – you have been touted as a future Yorkshire and England captain / player - is that added pressure or a nice compliment?

 

Firstly, I think it’s a very nice compliment. I feel very flattered and fortunate to be put in the league of the players that have fulfilled those roles in the past. I think also that, although it’s tempting, it is dangerous to categorise or put labels on sportsmen. I don’t know where my career will take me and achievements such as those you’ve mentioned there are a long way off and there have to be a lot of steps to be taken along my journey before I get a chance of getting close to doing those things.

 

Do you feel you have had a weakness in defending a rising ball? Last year against Sussex at Headingley Rana Naved dismissed you twice for low scores with deliveries that you fended off your throat. When something like that happens do you work on that issue?

 

When a batsman is dismissed in a way that crops up a number of times such as there with two similar dismissals I think a professional approach is to look at possibilities of improving your game. I don’t regard that as a weakness of mine. This is a game of instinct really and now and again things happen like that.

 

This next question is quite unflattering really, but I’ll ask it anyway. When people describe your batting style as dour, does it frustrate you?

 

It doesn’t frustrate me because I think I play the way which comes naturally to me and I think in any side it’s an important role to bat for two sessions if not a day. I think any side that has somebody that can bat for a full day in the first innings of a game is potentially in a match winning situation especially with a strong middle order and players that can score at a higher rate. There are times when playing a defensive game, or in a way that might be perceived as dour, might be inappropriate for the situation of the game and in that case it’s the wrong way to go about things. I do see the value of the kind of role that I’m looking to play at the moment. Still as a young player who is learning his game and trying to develop as a batsman I am looking at ways of increasing my strike rate and being more successful in that regard.

 

Paul Collingwood was labelled a one-day specialist and I think that delayed his Test career. Would you say the reverse might be true of you as a Championship specialist who doesn’t play the one-day game as regularly?

 

That’s a perfect example of putting sportsmen in categories being restrictive. I think in Collingwood’s case being categorised as a one-day player could have restricted his selection in the longer game.

 

The England management had that opinion though otherwise they would have picked him for the Tests sooner. Does the management here have that restrictive opinion of you?

 

I don’t think so. Works been put in place at the moment to expand my game and I spend more time, or have in the past, addressing the 4-day game and I have played more two innings cricket than I have one-day cricket. That would explain why my 4-day game is more consistent, but my aims for the future are to expand as a player and look at other forms of the game.

 

Which current or past Yorkshire player has helped you most in your time at Yorkshire?

 

Out of the current players, I’d say that players like Anthony McGrath, Matthew Wood have helped me very much as a young player coming through the ranks. Kevin Sharp is obviously in the batting coach role at the moment and has been very helpful. More recently Geoffrey Boycott as a past player has been very generous in his assistance. I think it would be wrong of me to pinpoint one person over any other as there have been quite a number of people who have contributed.

 

I know supporters are always intrigued to know how much Geoffrey Boycott relates to the current side. Does he talk to you during the summer?

 

I met Geoffrey for the first time half way through last season and he watched me in the nets and we had a chat after that session. Other than that opportunities were limited in terms of regular discussions. Having spoken to him in South Africa and been in contact with him since I’m obviously benefiting from as much conversation with him as possible.

 

You must be excited by Martyn Moxon’s arrival as a coach and also a man who knows all about opening the batting.

 

I’ve already learnt a great deal from Martyn in his short time here. Martyn has spent his time here so far observing the processes that we’ve got in place already and formulating a plan and speaking to as many people as possible about the way to go forward. I’m sure as time goes on Martyn will take a more dominant role and I’ll be able to learn a lot more. What is already apparent to me is his professional approach and his attention to detail, which is a lesson to anybody really.

Name one player from the Seconds or the Academy to look out for in 2007?

Ooh (followed by a troubled pause). This is hard. I think Adam Lyth is developing as a young player and well rounded cricketer in more ways than one. Although I think expectations are quite restrictive and something to be avoided for the progress of a young player, I’m confident that Adam will take significant steps in the short term towards being a first class cricketer.

In 40-years time when you are sat in your armchair by the fire and you look back, what will have constituted a good career.

A good career for me will be one in which I gave myself the best chance of success and one that I enjoyed.

What does Joe Sayers do to unwind? Do you still play football/row/play music?

I don’t play football, the only rowing I do is with Dean Riddle behind me in the gym pushing me in and now and again I pick up my guitar in my house and give that a go. I do a lot of reading to get away from the thought processes involved in being a professional cricketer. I like to read autobiographies and mainly non-fiction stuff really and that’s a big part of the way I wind down. No physics books (laughs).

Have you considered life after cricket? You are a bright guy - why cricket and not a career where you can earn loads of cash?

(Laughs) because I enjoy it and it’s my passion - I think it’s very important to identify the thing that drives you in life. Cricket is that thing for me at the moment. I have definitely considered life after my career and also life out of season because after all we are only playing as professional sportsman for just over half of the year in England. This winter was my first experience of teaching. In the off-season before that I did some work for a marketing company and also worked elsewhere. I’m always looking at ways to look for other challenges and ways to unwind.

And finally, will you be writing your column in the Yorkshire Post again this year? The questioner says that he enjoyed last years but would ask for more "behind the scenes" stuff! He obviously wants all the gossip.

(Laughs) well thanks for the comment about last years column. Nothing is in place at the moment with regards to a column this year, but it might be something I’m interested in. I do enjoy writing. As a scientist at university I didn’t use many words. I did enjoy that last year and it’s another opportunity perhaps in the future.

 

In the spotlight next week will be Greg Wood. If you would like to suggest any questions to ask Greg please feel free to submit them HERE.