McManus Focused Ahead Of Huge One-Cup Semi-Final

Lewis McManus has sought the advice of Michael Bates, the last Hampshire wicket-keeper to win a Lord’s final, ahead of Monday’s Royal London semi-final against Yorkshire at the The Ageas Bowl.

Bates starred behind the stumps for Hampshire in 2012 as they beat Warwickshire in the CB40 final by losing fewer wickets, with the scores tied on 244.

Current players James Vince, Liam Dawson, Jimmy Adams, Chris Wood and Sean Ervine were also part of the 40-over triumph.

And McManus is hoping all their experiences, plus the information gleaned off Bates, can fire Hampshire to Lord’s on June 30.

“I keep in touch with Batesy quite a lot and have been lucky to have done some work with him throughout the season and the winter,” McManus said.

“He is brilliant to work with, his ideas are very good and he is someone I will be chatting to before the semi-final.

“I will try and get some advice off him and try and get some of the differences he has come across playing in semi-finals and finals compared to normal group stage cricket.

“Your skill levels are very important but in finals you see strange things happen from the pressure.

“As a team we spoke after the first game of the competition about having a few players like Woody and Jimmy who have been there and won it and how much of a good occasion it is at Lord’s.

“You can learn from those guys and what their experiences have been in those big days and how you manage things and coping under pressure.

“We have always focused on expressing ourselves in one-day cricket and playing with no fear whether that be batting, bowling or fielding.”

Hampshire topped the South Group after winning five of their eight games with a series of dominant performances.

However, they did lose their last two home games, against Kent and Somerset, to halt an unbeaten campaign.

But McManus insists the county are trying to copy the great Australia side which won the World Cup in 1999, 2003 and 2007 as an example of peaking at the right end of a limited overs competition.

“We haven’t played our best cricket yet which is frustrating but it is also a good thing that we are maybe peaking at a good time,” the 23-year-old said.

“I remembering watching a documentary with Adam Gilchrist about World Cup cricket and how Australia always tried to scrape through the group stages and try and play their best cricket in the knockout stages.

“We are there or thereabouts and we have done some things very very well and taken some confidence from that.

“But maybe that game against Somerset the other day will give us a little bit of a wake up call that we need to be raring to go on Monday to put in a good performance.”

McManus has been given a new role this season with more of a license lower down the order to hit big and finish matches off.

He puts his new skills down to sessions with former Hampshire player Julian Wood – who has introduced power hitting into his game.

“I have worked hard with Julian Wood, who we have had in working on our power hitting,” said the 23-year-old from Dorset. “Julian and I have worked quite closely together and bounced ideas off and it has really helped.

“I feel like I have become more destructive in the middle and lower order coming in and six or seven.

“I have that confidence that I can take a lot off an over, which is key when you are chasing and not going too early.

“I can afford to take a bit longer to get myself in as I know I can catch up at the end.”

Yorkshire sealed their semi final spot by winning at Essex on Thursday, defying the absence of five players in the England one-day squad – Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, David Willey, Liam Plunkett and Adil Rashid.

None of that quintet are likely to be released for the semi final, but Yorkshire retain plenty of class and experience in the likes of Adam Lyth, Gary Ballance and Tim Bresnan.