2 days ago
Unlucky Weatherall hopes to avoid future injuries
Raphy Weatherall (second from left) took eight wickets in two County Championship games this season before his injury [Getty Images]
Northamptonshire fast bowler Raphy Weatherall is planning to hone his technique to avoid future injuries after suffering a stress fracture in his back for the second season in a row.
The 20-year-old was out of action from mid-August last summer and has been unable to play since April this season.
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Weatherall, who has also just completed a second year of studies at the University of Exeter, has played for England at Under-19 level and is the county's most promising young pace bowler.
"I've had a bit of a rest and I've now got three months of rehabbing and working back to fitness for the start of next year," he told BBC Radio Northampton's The Cricket Show.
"That's the focus for me, just getting as strong as possible and working on my technique a lot during the season.
"I spoke to (bowling coach) Rory (Kleinveldt) and he said I'm almost there but there's a few things I need to work on and bring them into games rather than just doing it in practice which will stand me in good stead in trying to avoid this injury in future."
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Weatherall has played 20 games in all formats for Northants since making his first-team debut in a County Championship game against Middlesex in April 2024.
Having recovered from last year's injury, he made a bright start to the current campaign by taking three wickets in each innings against Kent, but has been ruled out since the following week's trip to Emirates Old Trafford to play Lancashire.
"I started well and I felt good - I felt fit and in good rhythm for those first two games, so to then start to feel this injury is quite frustrating, especially with all the work I'd done over the winter," he added.
"I thought this could potentially be quite a big year for me and it's frustrating for it to be cut so short. (But) based on the experience I had last year, I now know what sort of recovery I need to focus on and the methods to achieve that."
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Weatherall has been advised by head coach Darren Lehmann to distract himself with other interests, including his education.
But he is intent on spending as much time around the team as possible and was at Worcester last Friday to see Ben Sanderson produce remarkable T20 Blast figures of 6-8, including a hat-trick.
"I was with some of my friends and it was starting to get a little bit nerve-wracking and then Sando comes on and takes four in an over, it was unbelievable to watch," Weatherall added.
"His experience, his ability to win games for us, is huge and I really need to learn from his craft."
