Pothas in good Nic for leaders

Nic Pothas is a walking contradiction. A 6ft 1in wicket-keeper who was born in South Africa but carries a Greek passport, he lists sleeping and going to the gym as his hobbies.

Whatever his background, though, there can be no mistaking his importance to a Hampshire side that has raced to the top of the Frizzell County Championship Second Division table.

Fresh from making an unbeaten 131 in the draw with Derbyshire, Pothas' contributions of 100 and 77 against Yorkshire were arguably the crucial factors in his side's 119-run victory last week. He has scored 372 runs at a shade under 75 this season.

If Hampshire's form has been a revelation - they have registered three wins and come within a whisker of a fourth, having had to wait until July for their first success last year - Pothas' performances can hardly be classed as a surprise.

Hampshire's in-form batsman Nic Pothas

He averaged almost 45 last summer, and would almost certainly have passed 1,000 runs had it not been for a four-week spell on the sidelines with a torn hamstring. Pothas may be taller than all but Somerset's Rob Turner on the county wicket-keeping circuit, but he can now lay claim to looking down on his peers in another sense.

"I've just been playing really, really well," said Pothas, who is revelling in the positive atmosphere engendered by Shane Warne at Hampshire.

"The first couple of games I played well, but went out in situations when we were trying to set targets because we're trying to win games. We're not interested in drawing," he told ecb.co.uk.

"I got a couple of 10s and 20s but felt really good about them. I had a practice with (first-team manager) Paul Terry, and he said 'There's no need to stress. You just need to get a couple of hours out in the middle.' That is exactly what's happened in the last couple of weeks - it's been brilliant."

Pothas' success on a Headingley pitch displaying all its usual vagaries in bounce underlined the progression he has made since the then Hampshire coach Jimmy Cook lured him from Gauteng to the south coast in 2002.

"My first season was more a learning curve, technically and just on the county circuit, understanding what my body can and can't do," said Pothas, who averaged 23 with the bat.

"I took a season to adjust to English conditions. In South Africa you don't play as much cricket, so to be playing week in, week out and looking after your body is different.

"I went away to South Africa at the end of that season and didn't play any cricket for the first time in 10 years. I spoke to Robin Smith before I left and worked out what I needed to do.

“I just worked on it mentally, so when I came back I knew exactly what I was going to be doing. That helped a lot.

Pothas is grateful for the advice of John Crawley

"Paul Terry and John Crawley have been a revelation for me, from a batting point of view. I've learned to let the ball come on a lot more, and haven't gone as hard at the ball as you can in the southern hemisphere."

Pothas' consistency over the last year reflects a desire to improve all facets of his game. Though he earned the plaudits for his batting at Headingley, he also produced a tidy display behind the stumps.

He added: "My goal has always been to be selected as a keeper alone, or as a batter alone, so I like to be classified as an all-rounder rather than a batter who keeps or a keeper who bats.

"Being big for a 'keeper, I can't afford to carry weight around during a county season, so I need to get my weight right down. I used to compete at 85-86 kilos in South Africa, but I have to be down to 83 here," he said, which is where his love of the gym comes into play.

"Your fitness is controllable, your technicals are controllable and your mental is controllable, and after that wickets and selectors and out of your control. The things that you can control, you've got to work on, and I think your mental state is one of those things.

"I think it's up to the individual if they want to embrace it," he added, referring to the use of a sports psychologist at Hampshire. "I'm very much a fan of it.

"People openly state that 90 per cent of the game is in your head, which is dead right, especially when you're playing on wickets like Headingley when you can get blown away."

Pothas admits Hampshire’s flying start to the season has largely been down to the impact of Warne following his return to the Rose Bowl as captain.

Hampshire captain Shane Warne

"Our team environment has just been unbelievable,” said Pothas. “The win at Yorkshire was purely down to the standards that Shane has set for us, and just being 100 per cent positive. That win was dedicated to him.

"It may be four-day cricket, but we're hitting balls over extra cover and point. If it's in the slot, we're just being 100 per cent positive, and if someone gets out doing that, it's no worries.

"A key word for us has been intent. Whether we are stopping people getting a single, whether we are bowling, whether we are batting - whatever the case may be, we are happy as a unit."

The team spirit at Hampshire is symbolised by the victory song which has been initiated this year, and Warne was given a rousing rendition down the telephone after the victory at Headingley. He missed the match due to Australia's Test tour of Zimbabwe.

"People have thought 'Shane Warne has come and changed the team'. He has, and very much so, but if you look at our results, it's been a completely team effort," Pothas said.

"The two overseas pros (Warne and fellow Australian Michael Clarke) and John Crawley are our superstars, but the rest of us, we just work really hard and maintain our intentions as a team."

Pothas, 30, was born and bred in South Africa - he runs a sports and corporate clothing business there with his brother - but his clipped accent masks a Greek heritage of which he is immensely proud.

"I speak, read and write Greek,” he revealed. “My parents read and speak Greek and we're the only part of the family that's in South Africa. The rest are in Greece, and they consider themselves 100 per cent Greek."

It is probably a safe bet to assume Pothas would not have become a professional cricketer had he been brought up in Greece, given that there is only one wicket, an artificial strip in Corfu.

He made three one-day international appearances for South Africa in August 2000, but the whispers about an England call-up are sure to grow louder when he qualifies next year.

If Pothas was to turn out for his adopted country, it would not look out of place on his CV.