If Surrey can beat Nottinghamshire at Lord’s tomorrow, let’s hope it will open the floodgates for this team.
We have been so close to major trophies in recent years — this is our third final in a row in the domestic 50-over competition — that if we can get over the line, we have to believe there can be more in the future.
Every team need a backbone of players who have an inner passion for the club and we are reaching that stage now. You need people who are fighting for something more than just a pay cheque or a new contract.
There are examples in other sports. Manchester United won the Premier League title in 2013, Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season. Not many people would argue they were the best team in the country that year. But they had a core of players who had the club at heart, and it got them over the line.
Although I started my career at Yorkshire, I moved to Surrey at a very young age and I believe I am a product of Surrey. Look at the other players in this team who have come through the ranks here: Jason Roy, Jade Dernbach, Rory Burns, Tom and Sam Curran — to name just a few. Ollie Pope is the latest player to follow that path.
Jason didn’t have an easy time with England during the Champions Trophy but he came back to Surrey and is now playing wonderful cricket. It is vital that the club harness that spirit and move forward. When my time as captain is done, it will hopefully allow whoever takes over, potentially Burns, to take the team in the right direction.
I will be 40 in October — yet I can honestly say I don’t worry whether this will be my last Lord’s final. When I was in my mid-30s, it was a bit different. Certainly when we won the CB40 in 2011, defeating Somerset in the final, I did wonder if I would get another opportunity. When that’s on your mind, it might make you play a little more conservatively.
But I am past that stage now. If I am bowling to an aggressive batsman, my priority will be to get him out, rather than trying only to contain him. If I am batting, I will try to attack the bowler. I will play the pull shot.
I try to be free of negative thought and take the same approach I did as a young player. Over the last couple of years, I have managed to enjoy and savour every moment — and that is what I will continue to do.
