Salisbury keen to help youth
Ian Salisbury took 59 wickets in the 2006 County Championship
Ian Salisbury is currently undertaking his level four coaching badge and is keen to leave a legacy of spin bowlers at Surrey when he retires from playing.
The leg-spinner played 15 Test matches and four one-day internationals for England and is coming off one of the best seasons of his career in county cricket.
He took 59 wickets in 15 County Championship matches in 2006 and formed a formidable spin partnership with Nayan Doshi, who contributed 50 wickets to Surrey’s successful campaign.
“It is always good to bowl in a partnership,” he told ecb.co.uk. “Doshi has only just started out but he is doing well. Hopefully we can help each other.
“We hadn’t had a chance to bowl with each other very often, so this was really the first opportunity we got. In that respect the results were good, so hopefully we can take that on and improve on it next year.”
Surrey have also signed another leg-spinner for the 2007 season, with Chris Schofield being given a one-year contract at the Brit Oval, something which Salisbury sees as a forward-thinking move.
Chris Schofield has signed a one-year deal with Surrey
“I’m really pleased. I’ve known Schoey since he came on to the scene. He’s had a tough life in professional cricket and I’m pleased he has been given an opportunity at our club,” he said.
“I don’t feel threatened by him at all. I’d like to help him. I am coming towards the end of my career and he is just starting out on a new chapter in his life.
“As much as I would like to play for another five years, I see my future in the game as a coach and I try to help all the young spinners. I will help Schoey as much as I help young Kingy (Simon King) and Dosh. I never see anyone as a threat - I just see it as somebody I can help out.
“It’s not about individuals - it is about Surrey being Division One champions again and doing whatever that takes.”
Surrey were relegated to Division Two of the championship in 2005, but bounced straight back up to the First Division in 2006.
“We did well in four-day cricket and achieved our objective,” Salisbury said. “We got promotion and that was all we could do. To win it was the added bonus.
“To be consistent and get promoted in the championship you need all the batsmen to put runs on the board, and they gave us the runs to bowl teams out.
“In the one-day stuff, we are halfway there with halfway to improve.
Nayan Doshi © Getty Images
“It was a great effort and we have young players for the future - people like (James) Benning, Doshi, (Jade) Dernbach and (Neil) Saker - who will hopefully be pushing us out of the team in the near future. They will be able to take the club forward in the next four or five years.”
Salisbury himself is embarking on his 19th season as a professional cricketer having spent eight years at Sussex and a further 10 years with Surrey, and he has been awarded a benefit year for 2007.
“You do look forward to benefit years as it is a reward for the number of years you have been playing the game,” he added.
“There will be a number of people who think I deserve a benefit and the same number who don’t think so. It’s more important that the people at the club recognise that I have put a lot of effort into Surrey in the last 10 years.
“It will be hard work, but hopefully it will be rewarding. I just hope I don’t have as much time to work on it as Bickers (Martin Bicknell) did last year.”
Bicknell played four matches for Surrey in 2006 and spent the rest of the year on the sidelines following injury problems and lack of opportunity.
“I want to be playing every single game for Surrey and helping them win the championship. That is my main priority,” Salisbury admitted.
“I am quite relaxed about my benefit, and any money I get is a bonus to go towards paying my mortage so that I can survive living in London!
“More importantly, I’m looking forward to having another good year for Surrey and helping them win.”
