Adam Hose admits that it’s been a rather strange start to his Warwickshire career – conducted half in the tumultuous spotlight of the NatWestT20Blast campaign and half in the serene backwaters of 2nd XI cricket.
The 24-year-old can’t play championship cricket for the Bears this year as a condition of his mid-season move from Somerset on a three-year deal.
There is a real sense that Ashley Giles and Jim Troughton are building something here. They have got a clear vision about how they want to bring success to the club and I’m really excited to be part of that.
Adam Hose
He admits that has been a little frustrating as his spectacular form on entry to the Bears’ T20 team, including a stunning 43-ball 76 on his debut against Lancashire Lightning, has transferred into red-ball cricket. He struck a glorious 180 against Gloucestershire at Coventry & North Warwickshire last week.
But Hose is happy to be patient as he settles in at Edgbaston. And already, in his first few weeks as a Bear, he has achieved one of any county cricketer’s top ambitions – playing in a NatWestT20Blast Finals Day.
“It has been strange, playing in front of 25,000 people at Edgbaston then not quite so many in the 2nds! ” said the Isle of Wight-born player. “And it has been a little bit frustrating to not play in the championship because when you are in form and scoring runs you want to capitalise. But that was out of my hands.
“I’ve really enjoyed my first few weeks at Warwickshire. There is a real sense that Ashley Giles and Jim Troughton are building something here. They have got a clear vision about how they want to bring success to the club and I’m really excited to be part of that.
“I’ve already had a taste of that success with us getting to the final on Finals Day. It was unfortunate that, personally and for the team, the day didn’t end the way we wanted but it was a brilliant occasion to be part of. Over the last two or three years I’ve watched Finals Day and wondered what it would be like to be part of and it totally lived up to expectations. And fair play to Notts Outlaws, they are the standout team in white-ball cricket this year and deserved to lift the trophy.”
Hose has been back on 2nd XI duty at Barnt Green this week while the 1sts take on Essex in the championship but will be at the heart of Warwickshire’s first-team planning in all formats next season.
Over the last two or three years I’ve watched Finals Day and wondered what it would be like to be part of and it totally lived up to expectations. And fair play to Notts Outlaws, they are the standout team in white-ball cricket this year and deserved to lift the trophy.
Adam Hose
He can’t wait for the 2018 season to roll round, and in the meantime has plenty of cricket to play in preparation with a winter spent Down Under. Hose will head out to Adelaide in mid-October for a season with South Australian Grade League side Kensington District which counts Don Bradman and John Inverarity among its former players.
“I’ll be out there from mid-October to early February and it will be great prep for the Bears next season,” he said. “I’ve been out to the club a couple of previous winters and it’s a great environment, really committed to succeeding and making everyone the best they can be. In that way, it’s just like Warwickshire so to surround myself in that sort of environment all year round is brilliant.
“I’ll be playing white and red-ball cricket out there to a good standard so I’ll be playing and practicing hard and be in the gym five times a week so it will be great preparation before rejoining the Bears for pre-season.”
And next season, with Hose among a new crop of talent recruited and coming through the Edgbaston Academy, the bar will be set high for the Bears – not least in T20.
“It was fantastic to get to Finals Day this year and we did that without playing as consistently as we want to,” said Hose. “In several of our team chats, Grant Elliott alluded to the fact that we didn’t put the complete game together often enough. Sometimes we bowled really well and sometimes the batsmen did well but not often enough put the two together.
“Yet we still got to the final and next year we’ll be aiming to click as a whole which would make us very hard to beat.”
