After making an impressive breakthrough in the latter half of the 2019 season, Liam Patterson-White took off to New Zealand for a winter of training and club cricket.
A few weeks after touching back down on English soil, he told trentbridge.co.uk what his stint overseas had taught him about cricket – and himself.
As summer turned to autumn last year, barely a week seemed to go by without Liam Patterson-White breaking new ground.
A First-Class debut, and a five-wicket haul, were followed by a County Championship fifty and finally, as the leaves began to turn auburn, a three-year professional deal.
But the prospect of resting on his laurels never occurred to the rising all-rounder.
Instead, Patterson-White jetted off for a close-season of self-discovery – one which he feels will bear fruit when the 2020 campaign gets underway.
“Before Mick [Newell, Director of Cricket] pitched the idea to me of going away for the winter, I’d never really considered it,” recalled Patterson-White.
“I always thought I’d stay at home in the close-season, but I realised that I needed to do this for myself.
“It was about putting myself in a place which was uncomfortable for me, but that I knew would benefit me in the long run.
“In professional sport you’re going to get times when you’re not in your comfort zone, and I thought this was about as far away from my comfort zone as I could be.
“I had no-one to rely on out there but myself, no-one to motivate me but myself, and I thought it was a great opportunity to develop as a player and as a person.”
Patterson-White was greeted on the other side of the world by one of the leading exponents of his craft.
Stalwart spinner Jeetan Patel, continuing his 20-year association with Wellington’s domestic outfit, was on hand to offer advice and support.
It was a relationship which the young Outlaw was keen to take advantage of.
“Jeetan was really good to work with,” said Patterson-White.
“He didn’t speak to me like he was my mentor, he treated me like a fellow professional, saying ‘I know you know your stuff, but I’m here to help if you need me,’ and he’d just occasionally pull me aside to talk about the little things he’d noticed.
“It meant I had time to coach myself and learn about myself, and maybe I wouldn’t have had that time if I’d have stayed in England.
“And when I did want to discuss something, I felt I had to make sure I expressed myself well. Over here, I feel the coaches know me well already, but obviously that wasn’t the case over there. I think that process of explaining things actually helped me to understand myself and my game better as well.”
“In professional sport you’re going to get times where you’re not in your comfort zone, and I thought this was about as far away from my comfort zone as I could be."
Liam Patterson-White
Whilst Patterson-White is still waiting for his first chance to test his refined game in the white heat of competitive action, the 21-year-old feels his winter down under is already paying dividends.
“I feel like I know now what I need to do to make sure I bowl well, and what I need to fix if my consistency isn’t where I want it to be,” he said.
“I’ve tried out quite a few little things, and when I’ve spoken to the coaches here since getting back, they’ve given me the freedom to continue to experiment with my game, which is what I’ve been craving.
“I feel I’ve come back as a much better bowler, and a better batsman too.
“I’ve tweaked my technique to allow me to access the off-side a bit more, and when I explained it to Mooresy [Peter Moores, Head Coach] he said ‘that’s brilliant, you’re really understanding your own game.’
“Nobody keeps exactly the same technique for their whole career, and I’ve really benefitted from having the freedom to develop a method for myself which feels natural.”
After a breakthrough season which yielded 20 wickets and that maiden half-century, a Patterson-White more at ease with his method could prove a potent weapon in the upcoming campaign.
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