County Championship preview: James Coles on Sussex's prep after points deduction, Test aspirations and the £390k Hundred draft fee!

0:01Nasser Hussain:Yeah, gone! Gone! He gets his fairytale ending! An epic way to go to a Test Match 100. The London Spirit of First Time win is the most remarkable thing you'll probably ever see in cricket. 604 and final Test wicket for Stuart Ford. It's ended when the T20 World Cup. England's captain Ben Stokes, while he is there, England have hope.

0:31Welcome to the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast. I'm in charge this week. Athos texted me last night saying he couldn't be bothered to host anymore. So I'm in the chair. It's that time of year where we look ahead to things. But also we look back, actually, because overnight, the Sheffield Shields season in Australia finished with a win, another win for South Australia. They've gone back to back and they beat the Vicks, Victoria at the Junction Oval. So our mates, the Ballarat boys, will be hugely disappointed who we met in Melbourne on New Year's Eve. And a time to look forward, start at the IPL, start at the PSL.

1:09But also we are in the week that the county championship starts. And to look ahead to all things English cricket summer, we have moneybags, James Coles, who got the big bid in the 100. We'll come on to that. But how have you been? How's pre-season gone? have you been wrapped up warm in this northerly breeze hello yeah firstly thank you for having me um yeah no it's been it's been a good start so far we've had um weather's been kind to us down here in hove uh cracking flags today which is nice um that's been good i've played in two of the pre-season games um they've gone well feel in a pretty good place um yeah the dressing room seems good at the minute so i'm yeah really looking forward to get going how'd you go about your practice james because you've had a lot of um white ball cricket in the winter which we'll touch upon but are you someone that constantly ticks over with red ball stuff as well even when there are white ball tournaments on or do you leave everything for english conditions march april um well this is like probably the first time i've been away for as long as i have through the winter so this has been a bit new um but yeah i've tried to consciously try and keep my two games pretty similar white ball red ball at the minute um but yeah I think probably more back foot dominant white ball and obviously on a green nipper in England it's a bit more front foot dominant so just getting back into it you know trying to get my forward defense back in order um there's been there's been a hard graph but I think it's in a decent place um and then obviously now going forward focusing quite a lot on my bowling making sure I'm ticking over because you know rhythm's a massive thing for me and getting overs under my belt and just for people tuning in who may not know what you've been up to in the winter just outline for them how your winter has panned out um well i mean this has been a pretty cool winter um i first started in the t10 under andy flower and basically a world 11 so it was just running drinks for most of the comp which is pretty cool learning from some of the best um yeah that was quite eye-opening like felt pretty out of my depth initially so I came back after that trained pretty hard um before SA20 and then luckily had a started well didn't start in the team um but had a good like run up through the you know nets and practice games so felt in a pretty good place and then luckily took my opportunity when it came um and then had a Lions tour after that well we won sorry in SA um which is which was immense coolest tournament I've played in.

3:45And then we were in the UAE with the Lions for about two, two and a half weeks, a bit interrupted towards the end. But yeah, that went rather well as well. We won the series against Pakistan, which is, yeah, it was pretty cool. You say it's the coolest tournament, I'll say 20, that you've been involved with. I've heard that from quite a few players, especially England players. What is it about that tournament that players really like? I think, well, like the stadiums hold a few more people than the grounds here in England, which always helps. But then I think there's just a massive buy-in because buy-in from like the whole country, because South Africa just lives and breathes sport, no matter what it is.

4:27Like the first day I arrived, I was speaking to just a normal guy that was a fan of the Sunrisers. And he was just saying how excited all of his friends were, everyone he knew was for this to get going because they just wanted to watch sport over Christmas because they rarely get it basically over there. So that was the initial really eye-opening bit about it. But yeah, then we saw it at St George's where it was just immense. They're handing out free shirts. The whole crowd was covered in orange, chanting, singing songs. It's literally the closest thing to a football match I've ever played.

5:03Nasser Hussain:You made a very deliberate decision, didn't you, to kind of prioritize the franchise stuff instead of perhaps going on the Lions tour to Australia, which presumably you could have had that choice. Just explain at the stage you're at why you, and I don't know who advises you, but why you made that decision this winter. Yeah, me, my dad, and my agent sat down for, we had quite a few conversations based around it just because the previous two winters I'd gone away had a really beneficial tour to India where there was loads of senior players around. And I learned so much. And I was a pretty young lad, like didn't really know much about my game.

5:47Then had an Australia tour, which was good. But I felt like I was slightly more senior, didn't have as many people to learn off. So then I came back from it being like, maybe hasn't helped me as much as I had going into the season. But then I guess the tour going to Oz, it would have been gone because there was the test lads around. but I had a conversation with Trez during the 100. We sat down and I was speaking to him and he was basically like, your best chance of getting in at the minute is proving you can do it against the best and the best way to do that, my thought was during franchise cricket because you're playing against some of the best bowlers, fastest bowlers, best spinners.

6:31So yeah, we came to the conclusion that that was probably the best thing for me and so far I think it's been the right decision. If we get back to Red Bull cricket, last summer, Division I, 1 ,000 first-class runs, 400s. You must have been thrilled with the way you played. Was there something specifically you did better? Was that just you coming of age last summer? I think it was something I spoke about the season before where I reckon I missed out on opportunities where I felt in good form and then was getting to 70 and then getting out. um like because if you look at last year I went for a period during the kookabur rounds and then into the back end of the season where I went I scored like 100 in each game for about four games um so it was like recognizing I was in good form and just being really rufous um which yeah which I don't really know what I did but I think it was just you know I was in decent form and just tried to make the most of it because I didn't have the best start so I just wanted to make make up for it and your test aspirations because we'll come on to the white ball stuff you've shone in that it's a not an easy test match side to get into with if you're about four for your county or five you've got rue brook you got stokes after that i noted right at the beginning of this you said working on my bowling a bit more do you see that as a route into maybe an england test match side the role that jacks has played that that not part-time spinner but a spin option who bats yeah I think because I mean if you look at the way the ashes went um you know teams are now veering away from playing frontline spinners like even they were leaving out lion over there so um I mean there's an option where I I can still be an effective spinner like last year I averaged I think it would have been low but high 20s low 30s with the ball and I think in England that's pretty good where I was taking wickets fourth innings when there's rough and stuff like that, which is probably where I shine with the bowling in Red Bull cricket.

8:36So I just think working on that and then being able to play as a batting all-rounder that can bowl overs and go at two and over, I think is probably my way in and then take wickets in the fourth innings is probably my best way of getting in. Because I look at test matches now and there's always a bit more rough for left-arm spinners, so I think that gives me a bit of an advantage. with a way in but you know I need to prove myself and yeah hopefully I can do that.

9:07Nasser Hussain:And how has it been with Sussex? Is it bread and water at Hove at the moment given that times are a bit tight and obviously you've had this massive points deduction and it's been a bit of a winter of discontent for the club hasn't it? Yeah I mean it hasn't been ideal for us but But, you know, Farby's been great where he's made sure that for this season, especially that cricket's to be affected as little as possible, basically, so that we can go into this season with full focus, which I think so far has been completely fair. For me, it doesn't feel like there's been any change from a cricket side point of view.

9:52The boys seem pretty, if not the most determined I've ever seen. like the squad we've got is the best squad we've had since I've been at Sussex, in my opinion. So yeah, I don't see why we couldn't go and do well this year. Fingers crossed, injuries stay away. Do you chat about it at all? I mean, it's like a 12-point deduction, two points in the Metro Bank, two points in the Blast. I mean, these things aren't insurmountable if you get off to a good start, but do you in any way feel let down by the club? but there's also constraints looking forward to contracts in the future and the amount of money they can sign.

10:29So players will be looking maybe for other options long-term or do you just completely blank that and stick to cricket chat? Well, I mean, initially there was obviously a few conversations and a little bit of whispers, but we've been pretty clear with each other now. All we can do is just focus on this season and give this season as big a crack as we can. So, yeah, there hasn't been much since probably Christmas conversations wise. The boys are pretty determined to just because if we do well this year, ultimately, we're going to probably sort the club out. If not, you know, make it in a better place just through us performing because people are going to want to come and watch and all of this.

11:10So, yeah, we're just pretty, pretty determined to try and bring home a trophy.

11:14Nasser Hussain:Where do you see Sussex's strengths this year? I mean, you know, all the competitions to have a crack at, but where do you feel that you're best placed to do well? Yeah, I mean, I think we've got a good balance to our Blast team this year. Like we've done well in the past two years, missed out on a quarterfinal last year, but, you know, we started it well and then just had a blip during the middle of that comp. And then once you get to finals there, it's just, you know, whoever's best on the day. And then the Tampa, I think we've actually got a good chance. I mean, maybe depth-wise and seem as if there's a few injuries, we might miss out.

11:54But so far, so good. I think we're looking all right in that attribute. But yeah, I think we've got a good chance. I think we've got some seriously good batters. I mean, we've got Hainsey up the top, who most years is getting 1 ,000 runs. Dan Hughes is an unbelievable overseas, I think. And then, you know, Olly Robb, he's been saying how excited he is for this season. And I'm really excited to see what he's got for us this year. Yeah, he's captain, isn't he? He's going to take over the Red Bull captain. See some talk, obviously, the England set-up first summer without Anderson Broad and Woke. So the accuracy and skill of those three, from what you've seen of Olly Robinson, is the hunger there.

12:39you're not going to say no to this question by the way if you want to but the skill has always been there do you see a real hunger behind the scenes that we don't see as in we we're not in that dressing room do you see that hunger um with ollie robinson at the moment yeah i mean i mean definitely like he'd be it'd be a fool to not give this season an almighty crack because you know given circumstances now around the England stuff. Like this is, as he said in a few interviews, it's probably his best chance at it. So, you know, I can see his hunger. Yeah, I'm just excited to see him on the 3rd of April.

13:17Let's ask you about Div 2, Div 1. You played a lot in Div 2. You've gone up to Div 1. Done well straight away. I quoted your stats there. There was a while that the England selectors were up. Division 2 runs and wickets. Your first game on Friday is against Leicestershire. They've just come up. What is the difference in standard between Division 1 and 2 championship cricket? I'd say it would be the depth, I think. So the fourth seamer in each team in Div 1 compared to in Div 2 is the big notice. The drop-off from first change in opening bowl is the thing I noticed most. But, I mean, ultimately, it's still professional sports.

14:03So I can see why they still pick from both because, you know, everyone's a pro and everyone's good enough to play in both. But, yeah, I think it's just the depth in squads probably.

14:15Nasser Hussain:Was it always going to be Sussex for you? I mean, you're an Oxfordshire lad. I think there was a link, wasn't there, between Sussex and Oxfordshire as a national county, what they used to call minor counties. Was it that straightforward decision or did you have other options? No, it was pretty much always Sussex. There was initially a link with Gloucestershire before, but I think the prices from Oxfordshire went there and I think Myles Hammond as well. So there was initially a Gloucestershire partnership, but then as I started, basically, it transferred over to Sussex. So yeah, I think it was always going to be Sussex.

14:57It was just the pathway.

14:59Nasser Hussain:Has it been an enjoyable move? Just before we started recording, you said you're in your basement flat in Hove. Has it been a good move for you? Have you enjoyed it on the south coast? Yeah, I mean, I've seen most cities now in England. This is the best place to live, especially in the summer. I absolutely love it. I was just playing tennis earlier with a friend. And I mean, all the boys live pretty close by. Plenty of coffee shops. You know, there's always something to do. I'm very rarely actually in the flat. So, yeah, no, I love it. It's the best place to be, I think. We can't let you go without talking about the 100 and that day.

15:40And you're sitting there. I'm guessing, were you in that flat or where were you watching the draw? I was on Greater Anglia and they started bidding for you at Stratford and they were still bidding for you at Liverpool Street. everyone virtually everyone and i got off the train and you were worth 390 000 as it sunk in what was the range of emotions you were going through yeah i mean it it was a proper range of emotions watching it um i was here i had the blinds down no sunlight in um but yeah no initially anger because i thought i've set a wrong base price no one's putting their paddle up i'm not getting sold and then it and then it went up and up and up and i was like and then i got it got to about 250 and then London Spirit came in and then I just flung my headphones across across the room and just started started head in hands like this um yeah it was it was pretty nuts and you I mean

16:31Nasser Hussain:how how is the reaction in the dressing room because we all know what professional cricket dressing rooms are like they can be uh you know sharp places there are presumably a few comments flying around next time you walked in yeah there was there was a few um the boys just you know ribbing me a bit as they would. But luckily, I think the thing that's so good about Sussex is that it genuinely feels that people are happy for me. And I think that's quite a rare thing to get, especially in sport, from all accounts that people I've spoken to. Yeah, I think I've got some genuine friends down here, which is nice.

17:07Nasser Hussain:Before you go, could I just ask you about London Spirit? And you work with Andy Flower in the winter. Obviously, he's coached there. He wanted you. just about your experience of working under him. And I think when you were with the Lions in India, you'd have done a bit with Dinesh, would you, Kartik? I can't say a bad word about DK, unfortunately. No, he was unbelievable in India, just working on spin, which is interesting because the pitches actually didn't spin when it came to the games. But we did a lot of work based around spin and his theories. Just the way he got his message across, I really got on with.

17:45and then every time I've seen him during the 100 and he's commentating, he always takes his time to say hello, which you don't have to do, especially as someone of his stature. And then Andy, yeah, I worked with him in the T10 this year with Grant, luckily, so I could relay to Grant what he was getting across because Grant could obviously understand him better than I could. but yeah we had a really good conversation towards the back end after I played one game and he talked about still trying to even if teams are trying to get after me still trying to spin the ball because you know even if it moves the smallest amount you know that little bit of lateral movement that you can get off a pitch can be the difference for it going for six and you know get them getting caught on the rope so that was a massive thing for me going into SA20 where you know Pitchers are offering a bit more spin than other places I've played them before.

18:43So just being able to extract that, yeah, that was massive for me. Well, thanks for joining us. Have a really good season. We look forward to seeing you in County Championship and obviously the 100. And well done in that draft. Thank you very much. Congratulations. Have a great season.

19:09Half nice to talk to James. He seems a very level-headed, switched-on lad. And someone you rated, didn't you? I remember being in the back of the pod in the 100, early on in the 100 last summer, and he came out to bat and you said, this lad's a serious player. You've always had a bit of an eye on him.

19:26Nasser Hussain:Yeah, I mean, he's been around a while, hasn't he? You know, he played for Sussex at 16, so he's been in the first-class game for five or six years now. But I just, you know, there's a point, isn't there, with young players where you sense they're suddenly on an upward curve. You know, it takes everybody a little bit of time to get used to things, get adjusted, find their feet at first class level. And then certainly the ones that are going to make it, somehow there's a rapid improvement that comes at some stage. And I sensed last year with James Coles that that was the moment for him where he was just starting to improve quickly.

20:08Nasser Hussain:And obviously, I thought it was interesting what he was talking about, that decision around, you know, franchise cricket against another Lions tour. I know his sounding board is his agent and his dad. and they came to that decision, which has obviously paid rich dividend for him, both financially and sounds like he had a good winter cricket-wise as well. But there are all those decisions that back in the day, Nass, we didn't really have to think about. If England or England Lions or England A as it was came knocking back in the day, that was it. You were straight in there. A, because there were no other options in any event, but international cricket was the only thing.

20:50Nasser Hussain:wasn't it that any of us were thinking about whereas now it's there's lots of different balls to keep juggling in the air yeah i think i've noted about him i only seen him a few times around 100 and and and sa 20 i think he's quite a tough cricketer as well it's quite a tough role he plays in the middle order when you come in and the rates going through the roof and you have to tee off from ball one ball a bit of spin with no mystery about you apart from he has really good changes of pace actually i do like that about him but i think he's a tough now i think paul farbray mentioned it at the sussex media day after he got the big money signing but that's the thing they see a hit with him at sussex is when you need someone to stand up in a difficult situation i think the fact that he's got eight first class hundreds as well you know a lot of the modern cricketers will be going into an era where they'll just be coming through on a diet of white ball cricket, I think that will stand him in good stead, that he's obviously got a basic fundamentals of batting.

21:50And it sounds like he's still very keen to play Red Bull and test match cricket.

21:55Nasser Hussain:Yeah, I think Andy Flower mentioned that, didn't he, when he was asked about why he'd splurged 390 grand on a young player like that. And obviously, lots of reasons. He's seen him in the winter. He's a very good white ball player. But he said, I think Andy Flower I said he's got those fundamentals in place because he's been around first-class cricket. And that's still really where you learn a lot of the fundamentals of the game because it gives you time at the crease, time to learn, and then you can take your game forward in other areas. So, I mean, it's going to be a very interesting six games, isn't it, coming up?

22:36Nasser Hussain:I'm really looking forward to it because, you know, there is a sense that there are some avenues, more avenues into the England team. I mean, the point you made, Tim, is a very good one. I mean, really, you'd think Bethel, Root, Brook and Stokes are all nailed down at 3, 4, 5, 6. But outside of that, there's plenty of opportunities. The Openers are under scrutiny. Jamie Smith's under scrutiny. The Bowlers are under scrutiny. So if you're a young kid like James Coles or indeed anybody in the county game, you know, you'd say if I can really have a flyer here in the first five or six games of the season, you know, there's opportunities for everyone.

23:19Nasser Hussain:And that, I think, is how it should be. There should be that kind of competitiveness and everybody should feel they've got a chance of getting noticed and getting in. and it should make the cricket very watchable in the opening six games because you're not just looking at the county fixture. There's context to it for individual performances as well. So it should be a good few weeks ahead, I reckon. Yeah. Before we get on to some of the names, can I just ask you about the money? He's gone for a lot of money and you touched on it there, the dressing room, and it can be a cruel place. Danny Gibson went for massive money as well in the women's draft.

23:59Have we just moved on from that? Just players around the world now just used to seeing these big signings. It's happened to a lot of cricketers, and it's just good for you, lucky for you, or is there a bit of jealousy and a bit of luck? We'll see now, and you have to cope with that.

24:13Nasser Hussain:Well, I mean, I think there'll be a bit of Mickey taking in the nicest possible way. You know, when they get down to the pub, it'll be, you know, the shout out to get them in, James. but I suspect you're right in that there won't be that kind of slight jealous edge to it because as you say I think you know these auctions drafts whatever you want to call them they're obviously people give that a lot of thought to how these things are going to pan out but there is an element of randomness as well depending on you know whether you get somebody's bidding for, you know, two locks of people are bidding for the same player.

24:55Nasser Hussain:So you can get outcomes that are just pretty random. I mean, everybody kind of sensed that James Coles was going to go for a big amount, but I don't think people thought he was going to go for 390 grand and become, I think he's the fourth, he's the fourth highest men's player, paid player in the hundred. You know, I don't think anybody thought perhaps he was going to go for that much so you know it's just how the game is now isn't it and well I mean good luck to those lads it is a it is a you know a lifetime away from from where it was if you're 21 and not played international cricket to think that you can be one of the highest paid players in the country is would not have happened you know a generation ago you're right about James Coles.

25:43Tick, who else have you got your eye on? You've been chatting with Asa Tribe for the newspaper. He is someone that has had a good year or two.

25:52Nasser Hussain:Yeah, I had a chat with him. He, a bit like James, kind of sounds as though he's got his head screwed on. He knows what he's about, quite ambitious. He's only 22, I think. He had his breakout year last year. He's not been around as long as James. But interestingly for him, the initial thing, he had a golden run in August, was that he didn't get picked up in the 100s. So he played in the 50 over comp, and that allowed him to get a couple of 100s. And then he got 100 for Jersey. His background is Jersey and Cardiff Met University. And then he got a double 100 in the championship. So suddenly his name was up in Lyons.

26:36Nasser Hussain:Then he got 100 for the Lions in Australia, in Brisbane, and I think impressed Kevin Peterson in the SA20. So he's one of a number. I mean, if you're thinking openers, the openers are quite interesting, aren't they? Because you've got a couple that have been tried and tested, but that may well come again, people like Hamid or Sibley. You've got the incumbents like Crawley and Duckett. And then you've got a young kid like Asa Tribe who, if he goes well, will have a chance. Somebody like Tom Haynes, who James Cole's mentioned at Sussex, been around a little bit, 15 first class hundreds, somewhere in between, not quite young, but not hasn't played, not established.