Michael Hill admits that keeping himself fresh for Staffordshire’s Championship campaign was the reason he has scaled back his county commitments.
The 35-year-old batsman didn’t feature in the Trophy and hasn’t been involved in the Twenty20 Cup schedule this season.
But he returned to the side for the opening Division One East game of the summer as Staffordshire were beaten at Buckinghamshire a fortnight ago.
Hill says it’s been keeping his productivity levels high in red-ball cricket which prompted him to make the call.
“It’s not the batting side of it. I just feel that the fielding aspect of it – having to do it on a Saturday for you club and then going again on Sunday was too much,” he said.
“It’s high intensity in white-ball cricket and I felt I would be doing the team a disservice if I wasn’t at my best.
“I wanted to keep myself fresh for the red-ball fixtures, which is a format where I feel I can still contribute fully and do a job.
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“There’s also some good youngsters coming through and we’ve recruited some excellent players as well.
“The time has come for the county to start looking beyond me.
“It has been great being back among the lads. I did train with them all through the winter, so it was a seamless transition.
“The team has been doing well. We got to the quarter-finals of the Trophy and we’re into the Super 12s of the T20 Cup, so confidence is high.”
‘Disappointing return’
Hill’s return to Staffordshire duty didn’t quite go as planned as they were thrashed by 187 runs by Bucks at Chesham.
That has left Staffs on the back foot in their Championship quest as they prepare to take on Cambridgeshire at Checkley this weekend.
“It was a big toss at Bucks and we unfortunately lost it,” added Hill.
“We bowled really well to dismiss them for 211 and we were really confident at that point.
“We knew it was going to be a challenge on that first evening (Staffs fell to 44-5) because the pitch did start to play up a bit.
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“As a batting unit we were disappointed with how things panned out. I was disappointed with my shot and it was one where I could have perhaps left it or worn it.
“We just didn’t apply ourselves and credit to Bucks, they bowled phenomenally well and didn’t give us anything to hit.
“It was doing a fair bit, seaming around, and there was also a bit of up and down, so it was always going to be tough, regardless of your technique or experience.”
Staffs were bundled out for 143 in their first innings, before Bucks piled up 316-9 declared in the second dig.
That left Staffordshire needing 285 for victory, but they were bowled out for 197 in the run chase.
‘No margin for error’
After this weekend’s home game with Cambs, Staffs visit Northumberland before entertain Suffolk at Stafford.
And Hill, a three-time divisional winner with the county, says they know what needs to happen in the remainder of the summer.
“We didn’t cover ourselves in glory as a batting unit at Bucks,” conceded Hill.
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“And there’s no margin for error now. We are going to have to force the issue when we can. We’re chasing now and that’s not an ideal position to be in.
“We have to make sure in the first innings that we pick up all of our bonus points and then we can up the ante.
“All of the players have to step up. At Bucks we just lost wickets in clusters and you can’t afford to do that at any level of cricket.
“But Checkley is a ground where we’ve done well and you can cash in once you’ve settled into an innings.
“We just have to make sure we do the right things consistently throughout the game.
“It’s important that the batters stick together and we tighten up on our shot selection and shot execution.
“It’s about having that ‘over my dead body’ mentality when we go out to play.”
Main image: Michael Hill is back in action for Staffordshire in the NCCA Championship. Picture: David Peters