You’re not as special as you think.

You might be a gun bat, bucket hands and strike bowler. Congratulations! Now get back to work on your cricket like everyone else.

I joke a little. We would all love to be three dimensional cricketers. True all rounders are always envied. That said, there is truth in the idea that you don’t need any special training. You just need to keep nailing those basics.

What are the basics?

Prevent injury

All cricketers need to be strong and robust. All-rounders need to be even tougher. Tougher than specialist fast bowlers. Probably because you are a fast bowler.

Injury prevention doesn’t have to be boring or time consuming though. The gym with some chums is a good place to do some work building strength. You can equally play another sport or two. Plus you can use the warm up at cricket training to play around with medicine balls and bands in different ways.

Athleticism reduces your chance of injury, so find ways to get athletic that fit your motivations and lifestyle. Sometimes that is biting down and doing something you don’t enjoy for the sake of your cricket.

Mostly, its rather fun.

Learn your method

Unless you are brilliant at everything, you need to be very aware of your strengths and weaknesses.

This is good basics for any player, but as an all rounder you need to know it more than most. You are not focused on one skill set, meaning you have less time to build strengths and hide weaknesses. Knowing both allows you to play within your limits.

Of course, you should still work on your game. Its just you can’t work as long on batting or bowling as a specialist. So, come to terms with what you can do and build your game plan around it.

If you know you are a good swing bowler in short spells, for example, then make your plan to nick someone off with a magic ball as early as possible rather than bowling dry. You may get fewer overs and get hit more often but that’s the risk you are trying to take to play to your strength.

Double your determination

One area a real all-rounder can never skimp is determination, or grit.

You have a bigger workload than anyone else. You have to be fitter, stronger and technically honed. The only thing that keeps you going through this mammoth task is your self-motivation.

It’s essential - if you want to be the best - to be more determined than anyone else.

That fact doesn’t end with your desire either. Everyone wants to be the best. The difference between those who want it and those who get it is their ability do go and do what is required. Over and over. Past the point of sense or logic. Running on true grit.

So, get up, get into it and get on with it.

It might be the basics, but it certainly isn’t easy. Are you ready?