Nottinghamshire bowler Andy Carter has spent more time than most on the treatment table, but don’t ever call him injury-prone.
The stresses and strains of quick-bowling dictate that time on the sidelines is inevitable in modern cricket.
While evergreen exceptions Andre Adams (39), Glenn Chapple (40) and Ryan Sidebottom (36) continue to churn out performances in the twilight of their careers, the general reality is one of strained sides, x-rayed ankles and, in Andy Carter’s case, a broken back.
Carter possesses express pace, long levers and an action that batsmen find awkward to face. Since emerging from the Lincolnshire leagues, his professional career has been punctuated by spells of prolific wicket-taking and time on the mend.
After six seasons of highs and lows, he hopes his latest setback will provide a definitive opportunity to draw a line in the sand.
“Some people have a perception that I am injured all of the time but it isn’t widely known that I’ve had an underlying back problem for two years that has meant I’ve had to grit my teeth and graft through the pain,” said Carter.
“My background on building sites has installed a discipline in me that means unless something is physically impossible, I will carry on.
“Effectively, I was playing with a hole in my spine but I was in a good place and taking wickets.”
“There is no hiding place and no time for a whinge or a moan. I prefer to get my head down and get on with it.”
Carter’s willingness to play through the pain made him a valuable asset at the dawn of the 2014 season. His existing back problem was operable but he made the call to manage the pain with surgery penciled in for October.
“The physio had monitored me very closely and he knew that I was managing an injury as best I could,” he said.
“We knew that an operation would be needed at some stage but I was prepared to get through the season.
“Effectively, I was playing with a hole in my spine but I was in a good place and taking wickets.”
Carter’s stats make impressive reading; 70 wickets in 24 first class matches at 29.71. His prowess in T20 is also beyond question. Beyond that, the raw pace that saw him smash records in the second eleven in his formative years has been honed with guile and accuracy. He’s also seen as the go-to bowler for blowing away a tail.
“The last time I felt one hundred per cent fit was during my loan spell at Essex in 2010 and I took a shed load of wickets,” he said.
“I have a confidence in my own ability and it’s at the back of my mind that I have still taken wickets during a two-year spell that I’ve had serious back problems.
“Outside of our dressing room, nobody expected me to be in the Nottinghamshire team at the start of the season but my spells against Lancashire were probably the best I’ve ever bowled.
“Every time I’ve been fit for a period of time I’ve taken wickets and hopefully this surgery puts my injury problems behind me.”
Carter recalls the moment in the Grace Road warm-up that the pressure on his vertebrae finally told. Preparing to take his place in a Notts NatWest T20 Blast bowling attack in which he led the averages and wicket-taking charts, he heard a crack and his season came to an instant end.
“I had established a pre-match routine that involved me bowling a certain number of hard length balls before going through my stretches,” he said.
“I bowled the last ball, felt an explosion in my back and I was in agony. I knew that something had snapped in half.”
Carter has made sound progress since going under the knife in late July. A successful operation has been followed by close attention from Head Physio Jon Alty and Strength and Conditioning Coach Paul Watson.
“The surgeon told me that there was a one per cent chance that the surgery wouldn’t work but even if it was fifty-fifty I’d have gone through with it,” he said.
“After the operation he told me that the screw was in the perfect position.
“I’m on track and I’ve already started lifting light weights and doing bodyweight resistance work in the gym.
“Some people may have been tempted to walk away from the game but it’s never crossed my mind."
“It’s important that I don’t try to rush ahead and I know that it will be at least three months before I can even think about bowling again.”
Next season marks the final throes of Carter’s current contractual commitment. A new deal is more than likely if he can prove his form and fitness and he has no doubt that he can begin the 2015 season in the team and amongst the wickets.
“I know what I can do in first class cricket,” he said.
“I’ve got no doubt that I can get back to full fitness and put in the sort of performances that prove any doubters wrong and re-pay the faith that those closest to me have shown.
“Some people may have been tempted to walk away from the game but it’s never crossed my mind.
“I always sit and watch the matches and support the lads. I’m happy when they do well and happy to accept my circumstances.
“It’s never easy being on the edge of it when there are games to be won but I’m the first to send a text when someone does well or to offer encouragement if anyone is struggling.
“I want to play at Notts for the rest of my career. Too many players look for moves but I love Trent Bridge and I want to be a one Club man.”
This feature is part of the Summer issue of Covered, Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club's members' magazine. This issue boasted in-depth features with Riki Wessels and Paul Franks, as well as news and information from across the Club.
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