Karl feels he’s bloomed with Red Rose
9:04am Tuesday 7th September 2010 in Sport
KARL Brown believes he has improved his game considerably even though he has not played much firstteam cricket at Lancashire over the past few seasons.
The Bolton-born batsman has only played five County Championship and 10 one-day games since making his debut back in 2006.
But, having excelled in the second team, especially in one-day cricket, the 22-year-old is confident he can make the grade at Old Trafford.
“It does feel like a long time (since I made my debut),” said the former Atherton player. “But, between then and now, I think I’m in a miles better position to do well.
“I feel like I’ve improved a lot.”
Brown, who made his first Championship appearance of the season in last week’s win over Hampshire at Liverpool, will be hoping to keep his place for today’s trip to play Somerset at Taunton. Out of contract at the end of the season, Brown has impressed over the last couple of months in 40-over cricket. He has been one of the emerging players to take advantage of the Lightning’s poor start to the Clydesdale Bank 40 competition to play in their last six fixtures.
He recorded scores of 65 not out, 17, 32, 11, 64 and 41 on the back of a 56 in a 50-over friendly against the West Indies A side in early July. He said: “It’s been good to get a go.
I’ve scored a couple of half centuries and have made a couple of other decent contributions. It’s gone all right.
“In the first two onedayers I played I got a 50-odd against the West Indies A and then a 60-odd. It will, hopefully, stand me in good stead for next season.”
Brown, who has scored 609 runs in seven one-day Second XI Trophy matches, will sit down with Mike Watkinson and Peter Moores to discuss his future at the end of the season, but is not expecting to leave.
He added: “Because of the stuff I’ve done earlier in the season in the second team, with the runs I’ve scored, I don’t see it being a problem. I want to play for Lancashire, but that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.”
Lancashire’s second team will play Essex at Chelmsford in the Second XI Trophy final next Monday.
The county’s under- 19s team have also won the Championship title.
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