Clarkson relishes Nelson cricket return

“I felt as though I had been shot.”

Josh Clarkson’s first fear after breaking down at the bowling crease on his return to provincial cricket for Central Districts in November.

The Nelson College product opened up on his absence since on the eve of his first Super Smash game of the summer.

“I was running in to bowl in my second over against Wellington and felt sharp pain in the back of my left leg,” says the medium pacer. While the 27-year-old was forced out of the attack, he still came in to bat at No. 11 for CD and made an uncharacteristic five off 19 deliveries in its first innings.

“I knew I was injured. I couldn’t put any weight on my left leg." At least his side won the match!

It transpired the big-hitting allrounder had pulled his hamstring.

“A 50 millimetre tear. So it was a reasonable one. I have been rehabbing for five weeks. A lot of gym work and massage. It was a lot of hard work and tough watching from the sidelines,” reveals the Hawke’s Bay-based cricketer.

“It wasn’t the worst injury I have had, but the most niggly. It felt good to go but as soon as you got up to sprinting level, it was sort of a bit tentative.”

Josh wasn’t expected to play for the Central Stags in the T20 against Wellington last Saturday but passed a fitness test and couldn’t wait to front up again, especially at Saxton Oval, a ground he knows so well from his CD and Nelson days.
He played as a batter only as his return to bowling is being carefully managed.
Josh made 22 off 20 including a trademark six as the Stags went down by 11 runs.

“I love batting here. It is good to be home. It suits big hitters as the Black Caps-Sri Lanka match showed.”

He agrees that he could have been playing in that T20.

“But that’s the beauty of professional sport. You get injured sometimes and miss out on a few games.”

The hamstring injury took some of the gloss off a huge year.

Josh had secured his first New Zealand Cricket central contract, received an injury call-up to play for the Saint Kitts & Nevis Patriots T20 franchise in the Caribbean Premier League and took on some very testing bowlers in Sri Lanka.

“It was awesome to travel overseas and face very different conditions to back home. The wickets are slower and a lot more balls are turning. They are pretty laid back sort of characters in the West Indies.

“The beaches there are pretty amazing and the water is crystal blue. It reminds me a little bit of New Zealand,” enthuses Josh.

Picked for the New Zealand tour of Sri Lanka, he faced the home side’s new “slinger” Matheesha Pathirana, who got him out both times.

Josh had the distinction of hitting the only sixes in the second match, two of them, as the Black Caps squared the T20 series.

But in his first match back home, he was struck down and missed the chance to “get a bit of revenge” against Matheesha on home turf.

“I am sure there will be plenty of time for that in the future,” the 11 match Black Cap declares.