All-rounder Adam Ball says he is happy with his form with both bat and ball so far this season, having secured a regular place in the Kent side.

Ball has been a familiar face in limited-overs cricket for Kent in the last few years, but is now pushing on and has featured in the side’s last four County Championship matches too.

The 21-year-old has also started the Spitfires’ two NatWest T20 Blast games in 2014; both of which they have won.

It is the former England under-19 captain’s form with the bat which has proved crucial to him securing a place in the side, coming in at number eight to strengthen Kent’s batting line-up, while still providing a useful option with the ball.

The Greenwich-born left-arm seamer made a career-best 69 on the final day of last season, as he added a vital partnership of 148 with Darren Stevens, who finished unbeaten on 205 as Kent chased down 418 to pick up an incredible victory.

“One of the main reasons I’m getting into the team is for my batting”, Ball admitted to KSN.

“I had a good year last year, and I’ve started off well in the second team this year with the bat.

“It’s good to get some time in the middle – I had a good little partnership with Sam [Billings] at Gloucestershire [where Ball made 37], and then brought that form into the game against Worcestershire.”

Ball said that he had enjoyed the challenge of facing Worcestershire’s Saeed Ajmal – the 36-year-old Pakistani spinner who is one of the most revered slow bowlers in international cricket.

Ball made an unbeaten 25 on the first day of the game at a rain-affected Tunbridge Wells; acquitting himself well against the world class spinner.

“It was nice to get a not out [against Worcestershire] and see it through with the tail, rather than actually getting out”, Ball said.

“That was a good experience for me, and also obviously facing [Saeed] Ajmal was a very good experience. He bowled a few balls which I can quite simply say I did not know what was going on, but from that I can learn a lot and take that going forward.”

“Those first couple of balls when you’re new to it – you don’t really know how he’s trying to get you out – it’s just a case of survival. Then once you get out there and getting the feel for how he’s trying to get you out and the different balls that he’s bowling, then you start to pick up the cues that come from the ball and also his action, to signify the doosra and the off-spinner.”

In previous years, it has been his ability with the ball in hand that has seen Ball secure his place in the side, and after a lot of hard work in pre-season, the Bexley man says he is happy with his bowling so far.

“I’ve put a lot of work into my bowling this winter”, he explained.

“Last year, I had a bit of a setback with my injury, and then towards the end of the season, I didn’t go as well with the ball as I would have liked. That’s part and parcel of being an all-rounder – when one thing is going right, the other one might not going so well. It’s just a case of keep working at both as much as you can, and hopefully they can both start working together.

“From this year, I’ve felt as if I’ve done what I’ve needed to do with the ball; in there as that fourth seamer, just to hold an end and try and be as tight as possible to take the strain off the main three bowlers – Stevo [Darren Stevens], Dougie [Bollinger] and Mitch [Claydon].

“From the ball point of view, I think there’s still capability for me to be improving, and be a frontline seamer, this year as well as in the years to come.”

 

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