It’s a pretty unusual time for all of us right now, we should be in full Championship mode and gearing up for the first few fixtures of the season. Instead, we’re at home shadow batting and coming up with workout routines.
It’s certainly not been easy for anyone so far, pretty tough in fact but we’re all trying to make the best of the situation and hope you are too. I’m by no means an expert but I wanted to share a few things me and some of the lads have been doing that might prove useful for other people too.
I’ve found having a bit of routine is key to me feeling productive and it’s something I’ve tried to really focus on. It can be tempting to turn the alarm off and sleep in, but getting up at my usual time and knowing a couple of things I want to achieve each day has been really helpful.
Get some exercise in, even if it’s just for a brisk walk around the neighbourhood (or your garden!), it’s amazing how much better you’ll feel getting your heartrate up.
Make sure you stay in touch with friends and family. Call them, Facetime them, even just a message to check how they’re doing can make a big difference.
Try some challenges or make up your own games. We’ve loved seeing all your garden cricket clips and the different challenges you’ve taken on. Please keep sharing them and make sure you tag the club so we don’t miss them!
I know none of this is particularly profound and you’ve likely heard it all before but it’s important that our whole cricket community sticks together and looks out for each other, so if you’ve got any other tips that have worked well for you make sure you share them.
Everyone in the squad is staying positive and optimistic about how the season will shape up. We want to play cricket and we know the fans want to see it, but for now we just have to wait it out, stay home, stay safe and be ready to go when the time comes.
To finish up, I wanted to take this opportunity to echo the sentiments of so many other people and say a heartfelt thank you to all the key workers and NHS staff in Northamptonshire and across the country. Thank you for going above and beyond, you’re all superstars.