In the next issue of All Out Cricket, Essex’s young tearaway Tymal Mills talks to Jo Harman about a rapid rise that his seen him progress from an academy player to an England Lion in less than a year.
To read about Mills’ remarkable ascent in full pick up a copy of AOC 88 – in shops on December 29 – but in the meantime read on for a taster.
Mark Ramprakash tells us you were the fastest bowler he’d faced for some time in county cricket. How did you get on against him?
I didn’t bowl that much to him actually, I think we got him out quickly. He didn’t get many runs in either innings. It was a bit awkward because the way he shapes up to a left-armer is a bit different to the way he shapes up to a right-armer, so it was a bit off putting at first, but I did okay and I’d like to think I held my own.
Any other big names you’ve enjoyed the challenge of bowling to so far in your career?
I made my debut against Sri Lanka so I was running in at Kumar Sangakkara and I think I went quite well against him. He didn’t take me on and he showed me a bit of respect so I was quite happy with how that went.
Did your selection for the EPP and then the Lions come as a surprise?
Yeah, it was a big shock. I was in my initial programme of strength and conditioning at Loughborough and set to go to Chennai in the New Year [with the Potential EPP] when I got a call from Paul Grayson saying Ajmal Shahzad had to have surgery and they’d selected me to take his place. Come January, I will have gone from from being on the Essex academy and having played about four second team games to playing for the Lions in the space of a year.
What’s the Chelmsford pitch like to learn your trade on?
This year it did a bit throughout the season, it offered swing a lot which was quite nice. And obviously bowling with Dave Masters you learn a lot. Chelmsford is a good place to learn in general. I struggled a bit from one end so that’s something I want to work on. It’s not the easiest place to bowl, the boundaries are small, but it’s not like Taunton where the bowler doesn’t get anything.
Strength and conditioning is obviously a key part of training for fast bowlers now. Is the potential for injury something that concerns you?
I wouldn’t say I’ve got a fear of injury, I think it’s part and parcel now with the amount of stress you put through your body. I’m not exactly the lightest on my feet so I’ve got a lot of forces going through my body but I haven’t had a major injury yet. I had a little bit of a back problem last season but that was just because I bowled more overs than I’d ever bowled before. You’ve just got to listen to the coaches’ recommendations, work hard and get yourself in the best shape to give yourself the best chance of staying injury free.
And outside of the game, you’re in the process of completing a degree in journalism?
Yeah, I’m in my second year now and I was full-time but obviously with my cricket commitments I’ve had recently and what’s coming up in the new year with the Lions tour, I’ve been struggling to balance my time. I’ve tried to give it a go but realistically it wasn’t really feasible so I’m deferring this coming year and I hope to go back in September if I’m not so busy.
To read Jo Harman’s interview with Tymal Mills in full pick up a copy of AOC 88 – a fast bowling special which is available in all good newsagents on December 29.
