“I think mixed disability cricket is the way forward,” says England men’s mixed disability vice-captain Liam O’Brien, speaking to The Cricket Paper a few days after he led the Tridents to a second Disability Premier League (DPL) title.
“Based on the standard, I think it’s the way to go. It creates a much more competitive environment. It makes it so much harder to get in an England squad, so you feel like you’ve earned it a bit more.
“I think it’s bringing out the best of the players who were on the fringes before. For players who think they should be in the England squad but aren’t, it gives them that kick to make themselves exceptional to get in a squad.
"It’s created an environment that makes it feel elite.”
O’Brien was captain of the Tridents side that defeated Pirates in the DPL final earlier this month at Loughborough, winning on a bowl-out after wet weather made no play possible.
“I think it favoured us as we had such a strong bowling team.” O’Brien said. “We actually had a hard time picking five people for it because we had so many people we could have chosen. We thought everyone would hit.”
Adnan Ghani and Chris Edwards hit the stumps for Tridents to secure a 2-1 win as O'Brien's side became the first side to win the trophy twice.
It was a deserved win for Tridents, who O’Brien said were “the best team in the tournament” on their day. “As much as it was a small bowl-off, those are the things that win you a tournament and I’m really proud of the lads.”
He also hailed the tournament as a whole, praising what it has done for the disability game in this country.
“For me it’s the exposure that we get. Growing up, I’d always wanted to play on Sky Sports, so even a small thing such as being able to play on Sky if you’re in the final is such a big deal," he said. "Last year, I sent my first ever review up [to the third umpire]. It’s little things like that.”
O’Brien added: “It’s also a good way of blending the [various disability] teams. If someone comes into the England setup from the DPL, they’re a bit more accustomed to who they’re playing with, they feel a bit more comfortable because they’re already close with the group.”
Captaining a mixed-disability side is no easy task, with the skipper having to take into account their players’ various impairments and finding the best way to communicate on the field.
“It was challenging at the start,” O’Brien admits. “If a learning disability player’s focus has gone and I’m trying to move them in the field, a deaf player might think I’m talking to them.
"Then there could be a single and a left-hander is on strike and I’m asking a physical disability player who might have a leg impairment to run to the other side of the pitch. It was a bit of a nightmare.
“As I’ve grown into the role as captain, a lot of it is about communication pre-game. One rule I have is that everyone has to look at me before every ball. I’ve also created my own hand signals that everyone can understand. Just little things that help keep it really simple.”
O’Brien starred for the England side that defeated India 6-1 in a mixed disability T20 series earlier this summer, being named player of the series, including putting in a player of the match performance in the second game where he hit 55 and took 4-27.
“It was very special,” O’Brien said of the series. “I actually wanted to be captain at the start and it took me a while to embrace the vice-captaincy role.
“For me the dream is always to captain England, but, looking back, it was the reason I did so well.
“I took a couple of players under my wing, but I focused on myself a bit more. I was focusing on leading by example and by performances.
“We battered India. It wasn’t down to India being bad, it was down to everyone being on the same page and everyone being ruthless. It created such a good environment. Looking back, I can say the vice-captaincy was really good for me and it was a good learning experience.”
O’Brien now has his sights set on a tour to India coming up in January and with disability cricket across England and Wales going from strength to strength, he has professional aspirations as the game grows.
“I wanted to be a professional cricketer and I couldn’t quite make it with my disability," he said. "The goal is to do really well in India, have a series in the summer and the ECB go ‘wow, these guys are worth investing in’ and the ICC go ‘this really works, let’s get every country on board.’ Then we can become professional, travelling the world, training and playing.
“The ECB took a massive leap with the women’s game, making them professional, and you look at the standard now and how much the game is growing. That’s what I’d love for the disability game.”