Shiv Thakor believes the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) tour of Oman and Bahrain came at a perfect time as he stepped up his preparations for the new season.
The MCC played a total of seven fixtures across the two nations, with Thakor enjoying success with the bat, hitting fifties in the final two matches.
After months of hard work at The 3aaa County Ground, Thakor was delighted when he got the call to go on the tour which allowed him to put his training into match practice.
With the Briggs of Burton Pre-Season Tour to Abu Dhabi now on the horizon, Thakor is relishing the chance to play some cricket with his Derbyshire teammates ahead of what he feels is a vital season.
Thakor said: “It was a brilliant trip and a fantastic experience to go to two different countries and play some very competitive cricket.
“It was important to go out there and get some outdoor cricket. It was a whole new experience with everybody over there and I had the chance to put everything into practice that I have worked on over the winter.
“The tour came at a perfect time for me. It gave me enough time to work on things here, initially, before going out there. I had a lot of work to do with the coaches here which I could then test out.
“I am honoured that the MCC asked me to go on the tour and very thankful to them. The whole experience should stand me in good stead for the season.”
Thakor added: “I think pre-season has gone really well. The guys have worked hard, as we always do. We work very efficiently as a group.
“I have had a few bits that I have worked specifically on with the coaches. With my batting, it’s just keeping it as simple as I can to move things a bit earlier and give myself as much time as possible.
“With Graeme [Welch], it has been alignment-based work to improve my consistency as well as some work on mind-set.
“We have identified key areas and worked on them. It’s been a very enjoyable but tough winter. It’s been well managed all the way through and I think everybody is in a good place and ready for Abu Dhabi now.
“I think the Abu Dhabi tour is a great opportunity for us to play together as a team again and collectively put everything we have been working on into practice.
“It will be a competitive environment ahead of what we think will be a very exciting season. We are all ready to kick on for the start of the summer.”
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