Tavaré looking forward to Sri Lanka test - with audio
2 December 2014
Before departing to Sri Lanka at the end of November, Will Tavaré spoke of his excitement at spending the winter there with the England Performance Programme (EPP).
The 24-year-old, who made more than 1000 County Championship runs in his debut season, will spend three months in Colombo getting to grips with cricket in sub-continental conditions.
In particular, he said he was looking to develop his one-day batting and skills against spin during the trip.
Will and three other young county stars - Scott Borthwick (Durham), Ben Foakes (Surrey) and Tom Westley (Essex) will live together and play in all of Sri Lanka Cricket’s major domestic competitions.
The quartet have each been identified by (EPP) lead batting and spin bowling coaches, Graham Thorpe and Peter Such, as cricketers who would benefit from the experience.
Will said he is expecting the conditions to be far removed from wickets he is used to playing on at the Bristol County Ground.
He said: “It will be hot and humid and the wickets will be slower than over here and not as green. The spinners will play a massive part which is the main reason for wanting to go out there – to develop my game against spin. At the moment I feel as though I could bat all day against it but not really dominate it or improvise.
“The other good thing is having the one-day competition in a chunk. It means I can flat out work on that before Christmas and hopefully develop those skills before coming back to Bristol next summer.”
Tavaré will play for the Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club. He will also benefit from coaching with former Glamorgan and England spinner Robert Croft who will join up with the group for a two week spell.
And despite following in the footsteps of EPP graduates that include current England allrounder Moeen Ali, Will says he isn’t viewing the trip as a stepping stone to international honours.
He said: “Potentially it is but I’m not really thinking of it like that. It (playing for England) still feels a long way off.
“I still feel very much like a club cricketer that had a good season but when I’m out there it might hit me what I’ve achieved and what I can achieve.”
Keep checking this websites for updates on Will's progress in Sri Lanka over the coming months.
For the interview in full click below:
