Maddy eyes further improvement

Darren Maddy has enjoyed two fine seasons with Warwickshire and is adamant there is still more to come

Warwickshire batsman Darren Maddy is confident he can continue to improve as he prepares for his 17th season on the domestic circuit.

Maddy, who turns 35 next month, has excelled since moving to Edgbaston from Leicestershire in October 2006, averaging well over 40 in first-class cricket.

And the former England Test and one-day player insists he has no intention of taking things easy as he enters the autumn of his career.

“The last couple of years have been really good for me, coming to Warwickshire, and I’ve been really happy with my performances,” he told ecb.co.uk.

“You are always learning throughout your career and I still think there’s a lot more of me to develop and that’s what I keep striving for.

“I’m still very fit for a 34-year-old and when you’re performing well your body feels a lot better.

“While I’m still scoring runs, enjoying it and feeling fit I will continue to play for as long as I can.”

Maddy admits his career was in danger of stagnating prior to the introduction of the Twenty20 Cup in 2003.

While many took time to adjust to the shortened format, Maddy was an instant success, helping Leicestershire lift the trophy in 2004 and 2006 and becoming the first batsman in the world to pass 1,000 runs in the 20-over game.

His explosive performances earned him a call-up to the England squad for the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa, but Maddy also feels the competition provided him with a much-needed confidence boost.

“I suppose you could say it resurrected my career,” he admitted. “I was maybe taking cricket too seriously and getting very internal about my own game, but Twenty20 gave me the freedom to go out and express myself.

“After realising what I could achieve in that form of the game, I tried to take the same positive approach into all of my cricket and it’s proven successful.”

Maddy's career was revitalised by the introduction of the Twenty20 Cup, which he won twice while with Leicestershire

Warwickshire will be keen to kick on in this year’s Twenty20 Cup, having reached the quarter-finals in the last two seasons.

While Maddy insists the LV= County Championship remains the club’s priority following their promotion to Division One last year, he admits the rewards of the Twenty20 format are enticing.

“The Championship is obviously the number one competition, he said. “It’s the true test of a club and the one everybody wants to win.

“But the other competitions are all fun and exciting and it would be great for us to get to a Lord’s final or have an extended run in the Twenty20, especially with what can happen beyond that with the Champions League as well.

“It’s a competition that every club wants to be involved in and they are all taking it more seriously now than when it first originated.

“We’ve been close in the two years I’ve been at the club, reaching the quarter-finals twice. We now want to go that one step further and get to the finals day.”

Maddy will return to the ranks at Warwickshire this season following two seasons as captain.

Opening batsman Ian Westwood has taken over that responsibility, although his current wrist injury means wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose will deputise for the opening weeks of the campaign.

Maddy added: “It was great being captain and I enjoyed every day of it, but it’s nice to hand the reins over and just focus on my own cricket again instead of having to worry about the whole squad.

"I will remain involved as a senior player and I’m looking forward to working with Ian when he is fully fit and back playing again.

"He is a very mature young man, very level-headed, and he reads the game very well.

"He has got the respect of the changing room, which is always a big help, and he is mature enough to cope with the pressures and responsibilities of captaincy. I’m sure he will do really well."