5 minutes with...

Wayne Madsen

Derbyshire County Cricket Club player

It has been an incredible year for cricket. How can the clubs and the governing body build on that interest to get more people to play and support the game?

There’s no better chance for the England and Wales Cricket Board to develop the game in this country, having just had such a successful World Cup and The Ashes series, where games were on a knife-edge and so many people were able to view, especially with the final of the World Cup being on terrestrial TV.

Next season, I think new the 100-ball format (a new tournament between eight regional teams which will be played for the first time next season) will do well because of the launch pad it has had from the success of this year.

It has been a historic season for Derbyshire too, reaching the T20 finals for the first time. Why has this year been more successful for the county than previous campaigns?

It’s down to the team that are running it. Dave Houghton (Head Coach) is a great man and he leads the coaching staff with calmness and such a caring attitude to everybody. But he also has an inner drive and determination to succeed, and he gets that across to the players and the other coaches at the club.

Getting to T20 finals day was definitely the highlight of the season, especially when we weren’t given much of a chance of getting there without big stars and overseas players. We thrived on the underdog mentality.

You have been at Derbyshire for eleven seasons now. What is it about the club, the city and the county that you enjoy most?

It’s the family atmosphere around the club. Being a smaller club, you get to know absolutely everybody. For me and my family, having that atmosphere and vibe in our lives is important.

And it’s a beautiful place to live. To be able to get out into the Peak District and walk, and to have so much space for my kids to run around in is crucial.

What is the one piece of advice you would give to an aspiring cricketer? And what is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

My parents always used to say to me when I was growing up that if you want to play sport you have to dedicate yourself to it and just make yourself better at what you do every day, and that would be my advice too. I’d also encourage kids playing cricket to learn to take more risks and play with more freedom.

What are your plans for the future?

I’m 36 in January, and I’d love to keep playing for as long as possible and win as many trophies as I can. I’ve got another three years left with Derbyshire on my current contract, and obviously I’d like to see those out and maybe one or two more, depending on how the body goes, because I absolutely love the game. I’m also ready to move into coaching when I’ve finished playing.

How does a professional cricketer spend the off-season? What will you be doing this winter?

I was lucky enough to play in the Pakistan Super League last year, but this time around I had October off to do daddy-daycare and November was when we started our fitness training. From January we’ll start building things up from a cricket perspective, but I’ll probably wait until February because, as a family, we’re planning on going to South Africa.