Michael Brown Looking For Runs in 2010

23 November 2009

“Deep thinking” Brown Caps opener Michael Brown has been speaking about his desire to turn his thirties and forties into seventies and eighties during the 2010 season.

Brown, who joined the Club at the end of the 2008 season and recently completed his first full season in Surrey colours, fell agonisingly short of the magic mark of 1,000 first-class runs last year when he was dismissed in the second innings against Glamorgan with his tally on just 994.

Part of the reason for falling so tantalisingly short was the preponderance of scores in the thirties and forties that Brown made, something the man that once labelled as ‘The Tinker Man’ has identified as a problem he needs to work on.

“Getting twenties and thirties has almost been an improvement for me because generally I was somebody that got too many low scores”, he admitted honestly. “So I’ve almost made the step to be more consistent in getting starts and I think the next challenge is to turn thirties and forties not necessarily into hundreds but into seventies and then a couple of those seventies into hundreds.

“You’re not going to suddenly go from thirties to 150s but hopefully I can turn four or five of those thirties or forties into seventies or eighties. If you can do that you’ve automatically got another 200 runs on your season’s tally and you’ve made a bigger influence in the games you’ve scored them in.”

A big influence on Brown’s game recently has been the increased opportunity afforded to him in One Day cricket since he has been at the Brit Oval, a stated ambition of his when he signed for Surrey last year.

“It helps you develop a side of your game that you can’t normally develop in four day cricket, the chance to express yourself and the chance to put things into practice that you’ve thought about in the nets and new techniques that you adapt more to One Day games, to hit balls into different areas”, Brown said.

“I think playing more One Day cricket has made me a better player and hopefully playing on a good wicket such as the Brit Oval – probably the best in the country – helps you simplify your batting technique and enables you to be more consistent and to score bigger scores.

“In Twenty20 I’ve had a lot of time over the years to watch and think ‘How would I go about playing?’ and accepting that I’m not going to beating sixes down the ground over midwicket, for me it’s more about using the pace and being clever about I score my runs.

“I think watching the game gives you the opportunity to establish a type of game to play Twenty20 and fortunately it went well for me on those two occasions. I took a few risks and they came off. I’m looking to next year to maybe play a few more than I did and beginning to practice all the hard work this winter.”

Brown also commented on the marked shift in attitude within the first team squad since the appointment of Chris Adams as Professional Cricket Manager just under one year ago.

“It’s been challenging certainly”, he said. “[There have been] a lot of changes with personnel and the new coaching staff and the way we’re going about trying to play our cricket, both on and off the field.

“We’re working hard on our fitness and I think the ethic has changed quite considerably. I wasn’t here two years ago but the boys tell me it has changed. There is much more emphasis on fitness and skills and – as you’ve already filmed – the guys are in two or three days a week working on their skills.

“Last year we were battling in most games – the tables don’t lie – so it did feel like a long season and I think everyone feels like we’ve turned the corner and the new players that are coming in and the guys that have remained are looking forward to next year.”

So deep thinker – where did that come from? “I am a deep thinker about everything generally – I get a bit bored if I’m not thinking about something.

“Everyone’s different, some of the lads don’t even think two or three times in their entire life I would have thought. I spoke to Alec Stewart yesterday though and he said: “You’ve got a solid game; you’re a good player, so just keep it simple.”

As we approach the festive season, those are certainly the words of a Wise Man.

To watch the full interview with Michael Brown, click on 'Play Video' in the top left hand corner of the picture at the top of the article.