Alex Lees works hard in quest to dominate county cricket with Yorkshire
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Version 0 of 1. When Alex Lees was a kid in Halifax, thumping balls in his garden long after the light and his father’s almost infinite patience had faded, one of his favourite players was Matthew Hayden – the domineering Australian who used his crease as a bully pulpit, dispensing authority and, it turns out, a distant influence. Scroll forward a few years and the 21-year-old Lees has grown into a tall left-handed opener who enjoys taking bowlers on and belting the ball hard. Sound familiar? And while Lees’ stance is different to Hayden’s – he stands ruler-straight, as if a ballet teacher is permanently in his ear, while Hayden was more orthodox – their instincts are strikingly similar. As Lees admits: “I like the battle with the bowler. I like it when it is tough.” The faster the better? “Yeah. It gets me going a little bit.” Geoffrey Boycott was an early advocate of Lees’ talents. Now, though, he is just one voice among a chorus who expect the young Yorkshireman to open the batting for England. Lees is grateful to those who trumpet his international potential. But he blows a polite raspberry when it is suggested that after scoring 971 runs at an average of 44.14 to help Yorkshire to the 2014 County Championship, and being named the young player of the year by the Cricket Writers’ Club and the Professional Cricketers’ Association, he is on the cusp of big things. “In my mind I had a good year but it wasn’t exceptional,” he says. “I want to dominate county cricket.” So no whimsical dreams of squeezing into the England team before the Ashes next summer? “No, not really if I’m honest,” he says. “I’m just focusing on trying to improve and scoring heavy runs. If you do that and work hard, that side of it looks after itself. If you get distracted I think it detracts from your game.” Still, it must be reassuring when someone like Boycott makes complimentary noises about your talent? “Um, it’s quite a nice feeling, but ultimately there is a sense of responsibility to myself that I have to work hard, not get ahead of myself, and prove Geoffrey right. And to do that I’ve got to improve as a cricketer and put some hard work in.” Hard work, work hard: this is Lees’ mantra. He repeats it as often as other sports stars lapse into “you knows” and “obviously”. Perhaps wisely in this age of the twisted soundbite, Lees also guards his expectations like his stumps: he knows that the scorecard can make a far more vigorous case for his talents than any loose comment or tweet. But Lees’ career is scooting along rapidly, especially given he only made his county championship debut for Yorkshire in April 2013. He scored a century in his third match, against Middlesex at Lord’s, before smashing 275 not out against Derbyshire a month later. He was just three months past his 20th birthday. That promise was sustained in 2014 but Lees remains restless. “I have had a decent 18 months playing for Yorkshire but I can’t just do it for a season and a half,” he says. “But if you had said to me at the end of last season that I would play a big part in Yorkshire winning the county championship then obviously I would have bitten your hand off so I can’t complain. I just want to build on that now.” He already is. Just before Christmas, Lees returned from a brief England performance programme camp in Sri Lanka, where he top scored with 58 in difficult conditions against Colombo Colts and underwent an accelerated learning course on facing spin bowling. “The weather wasn’t great because it was monsoon season but everybody got something from the camp,” he says. “When it came to handling spin, during the first week I was playing decently, but by the end of the three weeks I was playing it confidently and getting quicker with my footwork.” This week Lees will accumulate more air miles as he flies to South Africa for a month-long England Lions tour, which includes two four-day games against South Africa A and could provide another firm step on the path towards a full England cap. “I’m really looking forward to getting out there and playing some competitive cricket,” he says. “Part of your development is to learn off other experienced players, and with Jonathan Trott having played nearly 50 Tests I am sure that’s exactly what will happen.” But the trip could also be a snap-trial for a spot in England’s squad for the West Indies tour in the spring – especially given there could be a vacancy alongside Alastair Cook at the top of the order. The uneasy incumbent, Sam Robson, who made only 336 Test runs at an average of 30.54 in the summer, will also be with the Lions. As will Adam Lyth, Lees’ opening partner at Yorkshire, who scored 1,489 county championship runs at an average of 67.89. It has long been mooted that Joe Root could again move back up the order to open for England in Tests; if that doesn’t happen, then events in South Africa could prove significant. Lees, though, isn’t getting carried away. He sees Lyth, his friend and county man, as being in the box seat to get first bite at international honours. “Adam’s obviously a quality player and he’s experienced,” he says. “He’s had a few years in county cricket to develop his game and this year he’s found what works for him. Nobody would begrudge him a tour to the West Indies with England after the season he has had.” It is too early to envisage both men opening for England as they do for Yorkshire, but Lees agrees that they work well together. “We both had good years personally,” he says, “but ultimately the biggest thing that came out of it was that we kept putting the team on the front foot.” Lees was only home for a couple of weeks over Christmas but he made sure he went to the gym most days to keep in trim. At Yorkshire players lift weights and do cardio over the winter, and have even taken up yoga to improve their flexibility and prevent injuries. Lees professes to be a fan. “Some of the older lads were a bit sceptical when we first started the yoga but it’s part of our preparation now and they realise the benefits,” he says. “We had a fit squad pretty much throughout the year which is uncommon really, particularly for bowlers. Some mornings you don’t really fancy it but it’s been good for us.” When Lees speaks about Yorkshire, pride seeps into every sentence. He was awarded his county cap in the last match of the season against Somerset, and immediately dedicated it to his father, Simon, who passed away in 2011 when Lees was 18. “I used to make my Dad throw balls at me all the time in the garden, and take me to nets,” he says. “I played my first cricket match when I was four but I’ve been sport-mad from a very young age. If I wasn’t playing sport when I was younger there was generally something wrong with me.” He attributes his success to his father, a bowler who could bat, who played for Bradshaw in the Halifax league. “From when I was four up until 18, I was forcing him to bowl at me in the garden when he might have been a bit tired and grumpy,” he says. “I think almost 100% of it is down to him really. For me, getting capped was on a par with winning the county championship. And my Dad would certainly be really proud because he had a massive, massive involvement in both.” Lees’ dad missed out on watching his boy play first-class cricket, but the son is determined to continue to make his father proud. “I always aspired to be a professional cricketer even from a young age and worked really hard, but the reality doesn’t hit you until you get your first contract,” he says. “But then you go again. You aim to be a good cricketer, then a good first-team player, then a good Lions player and it goes on and on.” On, perhaps, to England? “Obviously I have ambition,” he says with a fierce resolve, “but you never let your mind settle.” |