England wait goes on but Warwickshire's Sam Hain finds contentment
As befits a batter with mightily impressive stats in all formats, Sam Hain says he has reached a stage in his career where he has “found a lot of contentment within myself”.
At 27, the best years remain ahead for Warwickshire linchpin Hain, but he goes into them with averages already putting him firmly in the top echelon in world cricket: 40 in first class, 41 in T20 and a remarkable 57 in List A. A few members of England’s current top order would covet those stats (Zak Crawley’s averages: 30, 29 and 36, Harry Brook’s 40, 32, 30).
Hain’s wait for a full England call (he scored a century on his Lions debut) continues, much to the bemusement of many cricket followers in the West Midlands and far beyond. But the player himself is utterly composed and patient on the subject.
“I often get asked about it when I sign autographs, which is very flattering, but a lot of that stuff is out of my control,” he said. “I have found a lot of contentment within myself in the last couple of years and I love just trying to win games for Warwickshire.
“It doesn’t mean at all that I’m not pushing for higher honours, but all I can do is go out there and try and win games for the Bears. I know that’s a cliché, but it’s the honest truth.
“I remember being 20 and 21 and my sole focus was just to play for England, chasing that goal, and I didn’t realise that, though you can put the building blocks in place, there’s still an awful lot that has to go right for that to happen.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself which made the lows a little bit longer than they should have been and meant the highs were not as enjoyable as they should have been because I just worried about whether I could do it again next time.”
He added: “If England happens, then great. If it doesn’t then fine. The depth of England’s batting is frightening and there are only so many spots in the team.
“My focus is on trying to win games for Warwickshire. People might interpret that as having no ambition but that’s absolute nonsense – of course I want to play international cricket.
“But you can’t put your whole focus on playing for England. You focus on those building blocks and see where they take you.
“It’s just a case of keeping my relationship with the game as simple and clear as possible. That’s all I can control.”
England’s bizarre procrastination over Hain is baffling for the Bears, but they do at least reap a very positive consequence – his enduring presence in their top order.
He will be at the heart of their batting in their Vitality Blast quarter-final against Essex at Edgbaston tomorrow and in dazzling form in the competition, having scored 429 runs (at an average of 107.25) despite missing five games with a hamstring injury.
So few matches in any format has Hain missed in recent years that he found not being part of the action very difficult. But he took enormous pleasure from seeing his young team-mates flourish.
“It was tough being sidelined,” he said. “When you are fit and playing you look at the schedule for a chink where you might get a day off somewhere but when you’re injured, you just want to get back out there.
“Watching the young guys play, I was very proud of them – Rob Yates, Dan Mousley Chris Benjamin and Jake Bethell – and very happy with the way they went about it.
“I remember being 21 and just going out there and expressing myself. I just thought ‘this is the best thing ever, playing cricket for a living and going to all the wonderful grounds’. Now it’s come full circle and I’m watching these guys coming in and playing with such freedom. Rob Yates has batted brilliantly. As an opener in the Blast, it’s tricky because you’re not always going to be 20 off 10 balls, sometimes you’re going to hit fielders and you have to have trust in yourself that if you don’t get off to a flier you are going to catch up.
“There are different ways to get your innings going. I’m very proud of Yatesy because as a multi-format player it’s not easy crossing over.
“Helping the younger guys gives me immense satisfaction. Cricket can be an unforgiving game and there were times earlier in my career when I felt quite alone.
“Everyone goes through patches like that and has dips in form, so if I can help the young guys now than I’m very happy with that.
“At 27, I guess my role has changed. I sometimes forget, having made my debut at 17, how much I have played over the last few years but it’s really only in the last two or three years that I’ve realised certain truths about my own game.
“Now I analyse what I do rather than just go out there and do it. I guess that comes with experience.
“Hopefully I’m now reaching my best years in cricket. I’ve worked really hard on and off the field to find acceptance within myself and be the cricketer and person I want to be.
“That’s the most important thing. And if what I’ve learned can help the younger guys then fantastic, I’d love that.”
Next up for Hain, the Blast quarter-final against Essex on Thursday, and hopefully another step towards filling a space in his trophy cabinet.
“The only trophy for me to tick off is the elusive T20,” he said. “I’ve done the Royal London and the Championship Divisions One and Two. Now my County Championship medal needs a partner!
“We’re definitely in with a shout this year. If we play our best cricket, it will take some force to stop us.
“The year I enjoyed most in T20 was when we had Grant Elliott and Colin De Grandhomme in the middle order because that batting depth is so important and takes so much pressure off you.
“We have that depth again now.”
