Former Hampshire wicketkeeper Michael Bates sympathises with gloveman Lewis McManus

The current Hampshire keeper is battling with Tom Alsop for the gloves, which reminds Bates, who has released a book on modern wicketkeeping, of his struggle with Adam Wheater in 2013

Tom Alsop and Lewis McManus are locked in a battle for the wicketkeeping gloves at Hampshire, a feeling Michael Bates is only too familiar with.

Popular former gloveman Bates usurped Nic Pothas as the county's keeper in 2011 before losing the role to Essex import Adam Wheater two years later.

The Bates versus Wheater fight was the archetypal clash between a specialist wicketkeeper and batsman who could keep – with Bates regarded as one of the best keepers in the modern era.

Now Alsop and McManus, both homegrown at Hampshire, are challenging each other to stand behind the stumps, with the latter in the Bates role and predominately used when the former is injured.

And Bates, who has worked closely with both talents and regards each as friends, admits McManus has his empathy.

"Tom and Lewis are both very different," he said. "Tom could probably play in the Hampshire team as a batter and I have worked a lot with him on his keeping.

"He has worked very hard over the last couple of years on his keeping. He has been dedicated to improving and becoming an all-round package. He is doing brilliantly and is only going to get better and better with the gloves.

"Then you have Lewis who is fairly well balanced as a cricketer. His batting and keeping ability is fairly equal.

^{Michael Bates sympathises with Lewis McManus}

"I can sympathise with Lewis when he isn't in the side. I am there as a coach and a friend for both of them.

"It is what it is and Lewis has worked tirelessly on both his batting and keeping and has turned himself into an efficient all-round player."

The modern role of the wicketkeeper is a key theme in Bates' newly released first book 'Keeping Up', which charts his career; from his 2010 one-day successes to his controversial release from Hampshire in 2013.

Bates is now an in-demand coach, who has helped England Women to World Cup glory, as well as Western Storm and Hampshire, and is vocal in his support for the need for high-quality keepers.

"You can't escape not batting now," Bates said. "There has been a shift in mindset towards keepers now. Whether it does a full circle and one-day teams will be seeking a specialist keeper, who knows.

"It can't be avoided now. Kids growing up are very aware that keepers are now predominantly batters and I guess it is my job as a coach to make sure their keeping is still up to scratch.

"But the keeping part is still so important. They shouldn't just be sitting behind the stumps, catching the ball and giving it back to the bowler.

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"I would encourage every keeper I work with to make sure they are there to make a difference to the game. That is an attitude thing and you have to believe you can do that."

Bates, who is still only 28, was effectively retired following a short stint at Somerset in 2015, despite still being wildly viewed as the peak of keeping in county cricket.

During the process of writing the book, Bates interviewed the likes of England age group contemporaries Jos Buttler and Joe Root, Sam Billings and Australian legend Adam Gilchrist to get a full understanding of the current state of the art of keeping.

He confesses England Test captain Root telling him he is frustrated Bates isn't still playing first-class cricket and World Cup Buttler explaining how he was the 'benchmark' for keepers growing up was difficult to hear but helped him come to terms with not playing.

^{World Cup winner Jos Buttler was among the wicketkeepers Bates interviewed for his book}

"We did those interviews a while ago and me not playing was still new and raw," Bates revealed.

"And hearing those words was like a double-edged sword; it was great to hear the complimentary words but I was gutted I wasn't still playing.

"It made the process difficult initially. I was sitting down and reliving the experiences I had as a player and I would leave those meetings longing for those same experiences.

"But now my career in coaching is going well and the book has helped in moving on. I can now draw a line under my playing career.

"I was probably born in the wrong generation. I would have loved to have a little bit more opportunity and time here at Hampshire to develop the other side of my game but decisions were made and you have to move on and live with them.”

Courtesy of the ECB Reporters Network

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