 Robert Croft says Glamorgan must adjust to drier Swalec wickets |
Robert Croft has said he wants to stay in Glamorgan's Friends Provident Trophy side despite making his season debut in Tuesday's heavy home loss to Essex. The former England off-spinner had been left out of the first four group games as Glamorgan won just once on the road. But Glamorgan fared little better at the Swalec Stadium as Essex dismissed them for 124 in a seven-wicket defeat. "I would have liked to have done more but, look, I just want to play for Glamorgan," Croft said. "It's a sour way to get back in the team... I just want to get out on the field. I'd like to have taken wickets and scored runs today but it wasn't to be. "But I'll continue to compete, continue to try and help everybody I can - would have liked to have had a couple of wickets, there's no doubt about that - but just great to get the colours on again." Glamorgan cricket manager Matthew Maynard has begun to assemble a youthful side with one eye fixed firmly on the future after several disappointing seasons for the Welsh county.  | 606: DEBATE |
This has been more evident in limited-overs cricket, with Croft still getting regular selection in the County Championship. But Croft, who turns 39 this month, says there should be room in the Dragons side for experience as well in shorter versions of the game. "I don't believe in playing people because just they're young enough, you play people because you're good enough," Croft added. "If there's other people who are deemed better than me then that's up to people who select the teams, but I just want to play." Essex's Pakistan leg-spinner Danish Kaneria was Glamorgan's chief tormentor, recording figures of 4 for 16 on a Swalec wicket that has started to change its nature. As part of the revamp from Sophia Gardens to the new Swalec Stadium in order to host this summer's first Ashes Test, Glamorgan have invested heavily in new pitch drainage. Essex took full advantage of a dry wicket that encouraged spin, while Glamorgan's slow bowlers struggled with only 124 to defend. "We're not going to sit and feel sorry for ourselves," Croft said. "We have to find a way of playing better on those wickets, because they are slightly drier than we've been used to. "I'm sure everyone will go away and work out with their techniques and with their mindset now of how they can improve and how we can improve as a team on wickets like that. "They are drier, they're turning more and we have to think of a way of using that to our advantage. "Because sides coming down here are not really going to enjoy playing on pitches that are turning and stuff like that."
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