Suffolk bowler Matt Wareing is aiming to get his career back on track when he heads Down Under this winter, writes Nick Garnham.
The 23-year-old has endured a frustrating summer, after being sidelined by a bulging disc in his lower back.
The injury has scuppered his signing a contract with the MCC Young Cricketers.
Wareing, who travelled to Lord’s twice a week to train with the Young Cricketers from October through to March, was on the verge of signing a contract for the rest of this summer and next season when the injury struck.
He has not played any competitive cricket since appearing for Copdock & Old Ipswichian against Mildenhall in the East Anglian Premier League on May 27.
Wareing said: “They can’t sign me while I am injured, so I paid to have my own scan.
“This revealed there are no stress fractures, so I am waiting for the day-to-day pain to disappear before embarking on a three-week back-to-bowling programme.
“I should then be able to play in one-day matches for Copdock and see how my fitness progresses before playing in the longer formats again.”
Once he has proved his fitness Wareing will hopefully sign a contract with the MCC Young Cricketers, who play fixtures against county 2nd XIs, for next season which will potentially provide a route to the professional game.
He said: “It is a finishing school for Young Cricketers and about a third of those taken on do sign for a first-class county.”
Wareing plans to use the last few club matches of the summer for Copdock as his ‘pre-season’ before heading Down Under for a new challenge this winter.
He will fly to Australia either at the end of September or in early October to play for Old Students CC in Shepperton, around one-and-a-half hours north of Melbourne in Victoria.
He said: “I wish my flight was tomorrow as it can’t come quickly enough!
“I am looking forward to enjoying the experience and learning how to play cricket in a different part of the world, as well as learning to live on my own and be more independent!”
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