Daryn Smit says that his run of games in the Vitality Blast has made him rediscover his love of playing the game.
The 35-year-old has started all five of Derbyshire’s Twenty20 fixtures so far, having captained the Second XI throughout the season.
Having cemented his place in the side for this season’s T20 competition, the wicketkeeper batsman says that his passion for the game is stronger than ever.
“It’s been great and has reminded me that this is what I love doing, particularly being up to the stumps,” said Smit.
“Keeping to the fast bowlers is really when my competitive juices start flowing and I’m excited at the opportunity.”
Harvey Hosein had been the first-choice wicketkeeper throughout the Specsavers County Championship and the Royal London One-Day Cup this season, with a top-score of 91 and claiming 28 dismissals.
Smit admits that he was surprised to be given the nod for the Vitality Blast, but is pleased to be playing in the first team again.
“It was out of the blue, I had a chat with Corky [Dominic Cork] and with Houts [Dave Houghton] about a month ago to say what are the plans going forward with T20,” said Smit.
“Communication has been really good in terms of where I stand with preparation, my role within the second XI, captaining and helping with coaching so as we approached T20 it was important to get some direction.
“Then on Thursday before the Saturday game against Yorkshire at Chesterfield I got the call to say I was going to be added into the squad.
“Because the make-up of the team is such that the keeper is going to have to be up to the stumps for a fair bit of the overs, they wanted me to do that role.”
Boasting a wealth of experience, Smit has led the Second XI this season, where he has been able to aid the development of younger players, while continuing his own career.
Despite his current role in the first team, he is fully-committed to the Second XI as he develops as a coach, alongside his playing commitments.
“If I saw Second XI cricket as a bit of a joke and just went through the motions then I might have been caught a little bit short but I try and approach it as if it’s first team cricket and playing at the highest level,” added Smit.
“Importantly because of that role with a lot of youngsters around I try and set a good example and show them the standards I expect as a professional cricketer so with that in mind it’s allowed me to fit back into first team cricket fairly easily.”
Vitality Blast is back! Derbyshire host a hat-trick of Twenty20 matches at The Pattonair County Ground in August. Buy in advance to save. Call 01332 388 101 or buy online.
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