Lancashire Spin Magazine Autumn 2023

like that, it’s not something
I ever expected to happen.
It was a whirlwind of a
day, and it might never
happen to me again. It
wasn’t just the highlight of
my summer, I would say it
was my best ever moment
on a cricket pitch. My
phone exploded afterwards
from my mates and my
family. It was pretty cool.
SPIN: Are there any areas
you felt you could have
improved on this season?
FM: I would have loved to
score a few more runs in the
50-over stuff (155 runs, eight
wickets) and convert a lot
of starts into some real big
scores. That will be my focus
going into the winter. But I
was delighted with how the
T20s went (209 runs, seven
wickets). I don’t feel they
could’ve gone much better.
SPIN: How pleased
have you been to be
able to make an impact
in all aspects of the
game this summer?
FM: I pride myself on
being a three-dimensional
cricketer. In the last couple
of years, I’d lost that ability
to contribute in all areas. But
this season I feel like I’ve
done that. That’s all I’ve ever
wanted to do, and hopefully
I can keep improving to win
more games for Thunder
because that’s the main aim.
SPIN: How did it feel to
mark your first season by
picking up T20 Player of the
Year and overall, Thunder
Player of the Year at the
End of Season Awards?
FM: It was really special for
me, I was delighted. I had
a pretty tough final season
at Western Storm, made the
move here and I’ve loved
every minute of it. It’s really
nice to pick up awards and
get individual recognition
for your performances
but, as I alluded to
earlier, it is all about team
performances and winning
trophies and that’s what
I want to experience
now with Thunder.
SPIN: Finally, what
do you have planned
for the winter?
FM: I’m hoping to go
abroad and get some match
play in at some point this
winter. There’s a potential
for some franchise cricket.
The Super Smash in New
Zealand is of interest to
quite a lot of people, but it’s
not something I’ve looked
deeply into yet. Phoebe
Graham did that last year,
and it went well for her.
So, we’ll see. We have a
couple of pre-season tours
organised with Thunder
and a bit more time abroad,
which is great for your
cricket and as a person.
First, though, I’ve got a
holiday coming up, and I’m
also moving into my own
place in Manchester. I’ve
absolutely loved my first
season with Thunder, and
hopefully I’ll be here for
the foreseeable future.
AUTUMN 2023 SPIN 43