Swashbuckling Maddy Roars Back

Darren Maddy, the first man to reach 1,000 20-over runs, came roaring back to form on Thursday with a brilliant 88 from just 46 balls as the Bears steamrollered Northants Steelbacks in their opening match.

After a terrible run of injuries, the Bears’ main man tells Edgbaston.com about coming back to form, and why this year Warwickshire can go all the way.

It must have been a real thrill, and a relief, to get a big score in your first Twenty20 outing of the season…
It was great to get going because it had been a tough year so far. It was my first real score of any note, and to do it in the first Twenty20 match in front of a decent crowd, especially having waited over a year since my last Twenty20 game, it’s a very nice feeling.

You say there was a good crowd in, and a good atmosphere as you’ve come to expect?
Yeah, you tend to expect it now in Twenty20 but they really got behind us and gave us good support, and that’s one of the reasons why we enjoy playing Twenty20 cricket so much, to show off your skills in front of a good crowd.

After your knee injury last season which kept you out for the whole campaign, and then that awful facial injury earlier in the season, has it been a case of feeling your way back into form and fitness?
I’ve had two career-threatening injuries and you always have these doubts about whether you’re going to come back and be the same player you used to be, but I felt comfortable at the crease having struggled a bit [in previous matches] with my tempo and rhythm, so I’m hoping that this innings can kickstart my season.

Did it almost feel like a release of frustration?
In some ways, yeah. I’ve watched a lot of Twenty20 cricket lately and I missed last season, so I was looking forward to coming back in to a format of the game that I really enjoy. And it was such a good atmosphere around the ground, that it makes it all the better.

You’ve had great success in Twenty20 cricket over the years, but do you still approach an innings in the same way, or have you adjusted your gameplan over time?
A little bit of both. Much of my success in Twenty20 has come because I’m pretty relaxed at the crease, without taking it too seriously, trying to throw the technical thoughts and issues out of the window and just concentrate on hitting the ball. I still try to hit strong, positive cricket shots in good areas as opposed to trying to improvise and hit the ball in unorthodox areas.

Was there a standout shot early on in your innings that really got you going?
No, I just kept going with it really, I was always looking to score runs and score them quickly and hit the boundaries. I think after the first few balls I faced, I realised that if they were going to bowl to me it could become very tough, so I tried to take the initiative back away from the bowlers, and I got away with it! It doesn’t always bring me success, but it’s the manner in which I play, and when it comes off, I have a great night.

It was Warwickshire’s first game of the season and a great result for the team, but how do you see the squad’s chances going forward in the competition?
We’ve been playing some very good one-day cricket so far this season, and I think we’ve got a really good chance of winning some big games of cricket and building up some momentum to take into the next game. We’ve been very well prepared and the boys have been executing their skills very well. But there are a lot of games to be played now, so momentum is very important.

And how do you feel about the amount of Twenty20 cricket in this year’s expanded competition?
I think it’s very good for the game. I think Twenty20 will help improve players’ skills for 40-over cricket, and we’re even seeing some of these new shots coming through in the four-day game. I think the game needs Twenty20 from a commercial point of view, and I think it’s important as good a spectacle as we can.

And finally, any other Warwickshire players that really stood out in the first game?
Two players with the ball were outstanding. Imran Tahir (who took 3-14) bowled exceptionally well as always, and proved just how valuable it is to have good spin bowlers in your team. And I thought Rikki Clarke bowled very well too. It’s good to see him get some confidence back and have such good rhythm. But I think in general we’re a good one-day unit and if we can carry out our skills I’m sure we’ll be a success.