Worcestershire all-rounder Ethan Brookes admits that playing hockey as a youngster helped him develop the sweep shot which became his trademark in white ball cricket during a successful first season at Visit Worcestershire New Road.
Brookes grabbed the opportunity when selected for the Vitality Blast, finishing as Worcestershire’s leading run-scorer and being voted the club’s T20 Player Of The Year, and he also made a sizeable impact in the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
He employed the sweep and reverse sweep with considerable success and the 23-year-old says several years of hockey during his school days were a helping hand in learning to play that stroke so effectively.
Brookes said: “I spent a lot of time practicing that shot when I was younger. I played quite a bit of hockey which maybe helped.
“I did three or four years of that at Solihull School and I played some shots at hockey which translated in sweeping well at cricket.
“It certainly benefitted me and then you take that into cricket and the bowling machine and it went on from there.”
Brookes said encouragement from his Worcestershire team-mates also helped and he is determined to keep improving what has become a key part of his armoury.
He said: “It is a double-edged sword. Sometimes it can come off, sometimes it won’t but I think the message from the guys is if you always take that positive option then you are more likely to succeed than not.
“That was the case last season which was nice to have. Everyone backs you here.
“It’s a nice place to be, a nice environment, brilliant culture, everything is so good here, and that just makes you feel at ease as a player.
“The sweep shot is something I definitely can keep improving.
“There are some little technical bits you can always improve. It is a strength I quite enjoy and know, more often than not, it will work out on the pitch.”
