Blog from Izzy Westbury - England Women's Academy - Bangalore March 2010

7 April 2010

The moment Hilary term was over it was off to pack the shorts, bikini and cricket bat as I headed up to Loughborough to meet up with the squad before we flew out to India. We had three days of intensive training and preparation up at the National Cricket Centre before we (finally) flew off to sunnier climes. We were off India for a ten-day training camp at the Global Cricket School in Bangalore.

It was ten days that went by in a flash - intense training, lots of sunshine and playing cricket in a country that truly is crazy about the sport. The outdoor facilities at the National Cricket Academy were excellent and there was lots to be learnt from the local bowlers, especially spinners, who would happily bowl at us in the nets for hours on end, each time dazzling us with their amazing grips and variations.

Playing against spin was therefore a major part of the training camp, as was playing in hot and dry weather for hours on end and being able to not only cope but thrive in these conditions. The 2013 World Cup is being hosted in India and the aim of this camp was to get us young hopefuls of the development set-up ready for action in a couple of years time.

Although mainly a training camp, we did play two matches during the trip. One against the women's state side which we won with relative ease and the second against the boys U19 state side which was certainly more challenging and which, after giving them a good game, we eventually lost to their sheer power and big hitting. It was certainly something that pulled us out of our comfort zone though, and great preparation in the run-up to the season.

It was VERY hot out there - in our second match we were out fielding in 38 degree heat, but personally I thought that was wonderful - I'd take that any day compared to the freezing cold, damp conditions we often get back here! With regards to conditions, I think we all came out expecting the wickets to turn a lot - which they did (some of the grips and variations the spinners had were incredible - I honestly don't know how they managed to get their joints in that position, let alone release the ball accurately). However, it was the seam that was perhaps more surprising and harder to get used to while we were out there. The seamers got the ball swinging and moving about a lot on some hard and fast wickets.

For me as a relatively new and inexperienced spin bowler, it was just watching, learning and trying out for myself the knowledge and execution that the spinners out there were so willing to pass on. I was able to work out what worked best for me and also many things to continue to develop back here in England.

Batting-wise it was about finding my own game - especially against spin. I concentrated on finding the shots and areas of my batting I was comfortable and confident with and which I could use effectively come the season.

All in all a truly incredible experience - certainly very worthwhile and some invaluable lessons to take away and put into our game back in the UK. I don't think there are many better pre-season trainings than this!