Kerrigan details learning process

Simon Kerrigan believes he has developed as a bowler after establishing himself as Lancashire’s number one spinner in 2012.

During a disappointing season that saw Lancashire relegated from Division One of the LV= County Championship, Kerrigan – a member of the England Performance Programme set-up for a second successive winter – was able to enjoy personal success.

He was preferred to the vastly-experienced Gary Keedy when the Red Rose opted to field just one spinner and finished the campaign with 44 wickets, a tally bettered by only two slow bowlers in the top-flight.

Although disappointed by his team’s struggles, Kerrigan reflects positively on his own progress.

“I had tended to play as a second spinner, so you play on more helpful pitches, but this year has been a real big learner for me – playing on not just the spinning pitches, but flat ones,” he explained to ecb.co.uk.

At 23, Simon Kerrigan assumed the mantle of premier spin bowler at Lancashire in 2012, a year he describes as "a real big learner for me."

“You’ve got to try and go at less than three an over, build pressure and get your wickets a different way.

“I’ve only really learned that towards the back end of this year. I’ve not had to come into games with that before.

“I like to think in the second half (of the season) I learned from it and put it into my game.

“I would have liked to have got a few more wickets and get the average down a little bit, but it was my first full season in the first team in the championship and I was pretty happy. It’s something to build on.”

In addition to his efforts with Lancashire, Kerrigan delivered a fine display when representing England Lions in a four-day fixture on his home ground.

His first-innings return of 6-59 was one of the highlights of a drawn fixture against Australia A in August.

A modest Kerrigan added: “It was a really proud moment for me, to be making my four-day Lions debut at Old Trafford, and it was lucky for me that it went the way it did.

“I just wish I had put in a few more of those performances for Lancashire this season.

Elaborating on Lancashire’s slide from champions to relegation in the space of 12 months, Kerrigan said: “It’s been a tough season for everyone involved. We didn’t perform as well as we would have liked.

“There’s nothing we can really do about the situation now. We’ve got to forget about the past two years and build again now, and try to get ourselves back in the first division.”