Two years ago, Sam Hain burst on the scene as an 18-year old batting sensation. He became the youngest man to score a century for Warwickshire and then, just after his 19th birthday, the youngest double centurion for the Bears as well as the third youngest in the history of the County Championship.
Last year, troubled by a shoulder injury that kept him out for a month, he still managed to notch up two hundreds and three fifties.
Deep Extra Cover: Welcome back, Sam How did you spend the winter?
Sam Hain: I felt that I needed a break. I spent about four months back in Australia visiting friends and family which I enjoyed. It’s always nice to go home after a long season in England.
DEC: How much practice did you manage to get in?
SH: I had about 2 or 3 months when I didn’t hit any balls and then towards the back end I started hitting more and more.
DEC: Did you play any matches?
SH: I didn’t actually play any games of cricket. Because you play that many matches in England I feel that I probably don’t need to play when I’m back in Australia. In saying that, I was training pretty hard. I feel now as if I’m quite refreshed especially after what was a difficult year in 2015. I’m looking forward to a decent 2016.
DEC: And how is the shoulder you injured last year?
SH: Well, that’s one of my main priorities, getting my shoulder right. It’s OK, it’s good, if still a little bit weak. I think it’s at about 80/85% and still improving. It’s a focus of concern and attention for me when I’m working in the gym.
DEC: So far, apart from one List A game, you’ve only appeared for Warwickshire in first-class matches. How likely is it that you might play some one-day games this year?
SH: Well, I’m hopeful. The way cricket’s going, it makes sense for me to try and play all three formats. It may not be easy because of the strength and depth of squad we have.
The push for places is going to be quite tight. Whilst I’m hopeful of playing a bit of T20 and one-day cricket, if it doesn’t happen this year, it won’t be the end of the world. I’m still just 20 years old so I can be patient.
DEC: Finally, without jumping too far ahead, what’s the situation with your England qualification?
SH: I do qualify this year. But, to be honest, I don’t want to think about it. If I can just enjoy my cricket and hopefully put some decent performances in, everything will take care of itself. Looking back on last year, I started OK, then got injured and fell away towards the back end .
So I think I need to get back to where I was before the injury and then we’ll see what happens. There’s no point in worrying about things that you can’t control, like selection.
DEC: Thanks, Sam – and best of luck for 2016.
