Less than three months after suffering a stress-fracture in his lower-back, Toby-Roland Jones has joined up with the ECB’s Pace Programme ahead of their camp to Desert Springs.
“He’s completed six bowling sessions with Middlesex, and he’s been with us at Loughborough for three days this week,” announced Kevin Shine, the ECB fast bowling coach who heads up the programme. “It’s great to see Toby on the road back, and for us to be able to offer him the chance to do plenty of bowling outdoors and other specific training this winter.”
This news will come as a boost to Roland-Jones, whose Ashes dreams went up in smoke after picking up the injury towards the back-end of the county season. It was a cruel blow for the 29-year-old, denying him near-certain selection on the tour, off the back of what had been a fruitful summer for the seamer, picking up 17 wickets in his first four Tests.
“Unfortunately, fast bowling is always going to be a brutal business, as these lads can all confirm.”
Overton, who’s brother Craig just made his debut for England in Adelaide, has not played since an impressive performance for the Lions in June, while Topley, still only 23, racked up the fourth stress-facture of his career back in August.
But the programme is not just designed for building-up fitness. “There’s been a growing focus on things like running technique, movement patterns, mobility, co-ordination and agility,” says Shine. “And of course we also work on the craft and skills of fast bowling, as well as the technical areas surrounding pace.”
