England off-spinner Dom Bess is currently plying his trade for his county club Yorkshire in the ongoing County Championship 2021. On Saturday, he produced a phenomenal performance against Sussex at Hove, picking up his first fifer of the season.
After the incredible performance, Bess revealed how he ‘hated cricket’ after the challenging tour of India but reckoned that the lessons learned in the subcontinent would improve his bowling in the long run.
Bess was dropped after assisting England to victory in Chennai in February early this year. He returned to the team for the final Test in Ahmedabad but went wicketless in an innings defeat.
The offie then started focusing on County cricket and achieved success against Sussex. After the day’s end, Bess disclosed how he learned some tough lessons from the India tour.
“In India, in the bubble, everything was about cricket. And it’s fine when you’re going well, but it is very tough when things aren’t going well. But I only see what I had in India as a great positive. It’s been a tough time really, but one hell of a learning curves for me,” said Bess as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
“After India, I had a good break away from it because I really did start hating cricket. It got too much at times, certainly, in that bubble in India, there’s a lot of pressures going on, and it was really important for me to come back and get away from it,” he added.
The 23-year-old spinner asserted that he is paying all attention to Yorkshire and not focusing on pushing his case for a Test recall. Bess spoke about the support he received from English spin coach Jeetan Patel and teammate Jack Leech.
“In all honesty, I’m not thinking about [England] at all. Of course, it’s there, but I’m not pushing that. It’s about banking what I do, making sure it’s a long-term process. I’m 23, so I’m looking at four-five years, and what I do now – if the chance did come, I can go back into the international scene and know my game more.
“It’s more the trust and the process of that, trusting England that they’re not just going to throw me out, and it goes both ways. I had some really tough lessons in India. I had some great support from Jeetan [Patel] and Richard Dawson, with who I’m in regular contact. I’m in regular contact with Leachy [Jack Leach] as well. And I think it’s really important that you build that entourage because it’s not about yourself; it’s about the team, whether it’s England or Yorkshire,” Bess added further.
