This time last year, Fateh Singh was still at school.
Albeit with his maiden professional contract already secure, the completion of his education rightly took immediate priority, with the teenage twirler instead completing much of his pre-season in the company of the club’s Academy cohort.
This time around, he’s at it with the professionals from the start. The physical toll is gruelling, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“This winter is different,” he reflected. “It feels like a new opportunity to focus on myself and to build my game, but within a team structure, and that is very exciting.
“The training is tough. But I don’t mind that. I’m excited by it. This is what I want to do.
“The intensity the senior squad train at and the way they drive themselves is completely off the scale – and it’s motivating to see what it takes to be a pro.
“We were all tested at the beginning and, on the back of that, programmes have been built specifically for each one of us, and that means that every individual is stretched,” continued the Outlaws all-rounder.
“I want to get stronger for sure, but for me it’s about building my all-round fitness and becoming a better professional on and off the pitch.
“Even if the result is just being able to turn a one into a two, or if you’re quick enough to the ball to prevent a second run, it all adds up and that can be crucial to the game.
“If you do it as a group and six players all bag a two-run swing, you’re 12 runs better off already. If you look at the number of games that are won by a close margin, you see how much of a difference it can make.
“With the bat, having a break and coming back exposes your weaknesses and demonstrates your habits.
“You fall straight back into them and it makes it very clear what you need to get rid of. You work with the coaches on those things, then you can really start to build from there.
“We have a block to refine something, a block for trying to execute a new skill, then it’s preparation for the new season.”
Having reflected upon his first season as a professional, one in which he was a regular in the Second XI and ever-present for the first team in the Royal London Cup, Singh articulated a journey of discovery and a restored commitment to positive play.
“I got bumped up the order against Gloucestershire, the team was in a sticky position and – although I wouldn’t say I went into my shell – I didn’t play as freely as I might usually have done,” he recalled.
“I got caught at mid-off, half-heartedly driving at a slower-ball. If I’d been in a more positive mindset, I would have followed through with the shot and hit it over the top.
“That’s my game. That’s what I usually do. But I didn’t because I allowed myself to feel pegged down.
“After that game, I reflected and asked myself ‘why wasn’t I looking to score?’
“I’m a much better player when I’m looking to score. I get into better positions to strike the ball.
“After that, the next time I batted was against Middlesex. It was a good surface to bat on and the outfield was very quick.
“I resolved that I was going to play strong shots and that, if the ball was in my area, I was going to back myself.
“That’s what I did and it came off (Singh scored 45 off 22 balls). I wasn’t able to get us over the line in a tough chase, but I took a lot of confidence from it. I realised that I was more than capable of batting at that level.
“I want to build on that now and push to break into that playing eleven as often as I can, so I’m excited by what is to come.'
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Trent Bridge will host three international matches in 2023, with the sole Test Match of the Women’s Ashes taking place at Nottinghamshire’s historic home, before England’s men face New Zealand and Ireland in IT20 and ODI contests respectively.
Secure your seats at trentbridge.co.uk/internationals.