Lyndon James eyes return to bowling in time for new county season

The Nottinghamshire allrounder suffered a stress fracture in his back for the second consecutive year, meaning he couldn't bowl during the latter half of the 2022 campaign, but his road to recovery is on track

Nottinghamshire hope to have Lyndon James fit to bowl again from the start of the new 2023 county season following a stress fracture in his back.

For the second consecutive winter the 24-year-old has focused on rehab having seen his responsibilities with the ball curtailed last summer.

Similar injuries have plagued English players in the past year, with Jamie Overton recently joining a list including Olly Stone, Jofra Archer, Saqib Mahmood and Matt Fisher.

James took the ball in each of Notts' first seven County Championship matches and in two of his three outings during Notts' T20 Blast campaign before playing purely as a batter from mid-July.

He was a key part of the side which secured promotion to Division One, finishing as the team's fourth-highest scorer with 890 runs at 52.35.

But a return to his role as a genuine allrounder beckons.

^{Unable to bowl, James has scored enough runs to justify his inclusion as a specialist batter (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)}

"I've started doing some jogs off about five or six paces and I've properly started bowling post-Christmas," he told The Cricketer.

"We're aiming for the first game of the county summer (against Hampshire on April 6). Unfortunately for it to happen twice consecutively now we're just trying to work out how to go about it different.

"One of the things was giving it a bit more healing time this winter and hopefully it doesn't happen again.

"I've literally had two in the same spots two years in a row. The key for me this summer really is bowling. I was fortunate to play as a batter for Notts but making sure I am available to bowl, and hopefully come the start of the season."

The depth of Notts' red-ball bowling attack should ensure James' is not overworked when he does return to action.

In a battery which includes Stuart Broad (England-permitting), overseas seamer Dane Paterson, Luke Fletcher, Brett Hutton, Steven Mullaney, and spinner Liam Patterson-White, James is often second or third change. Olly Stone will increase competition for places after arriving from Warwickshire.

^{James is hoping to be fit to bowl in time for the start of the new season (Stu Forster/Getty Images)}

The Division Two champions may have to endure the absence of Broad and Ben Duckett for parts of the campaign but will be well fancied to challenge for a first County Championship since 2010.

Prior to retuning to the top flight, in the 2021 conference format they finished top of Group One (beating Essex along the way) and though they were third in Division One, Somerset and Lancashire were among their victims.

James added: "We were in Division Two last year but the season before we came up against Division One sides and put some good performances in and got some wins on the board. I don't see why we wouldn't (be title contenders).

"We've found a formula that has worked for us, and we've got pretty good strength in depth across the board in most areas.

"When you've got players like Broady coming back from England, just signing Olly Stone we've got a high skills level within the group and that should stand us in good stead."

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