SOMERSET CCC Men’s and Women’s teams will soon be heading overseas as part of their pre-season preparations, with the Women going to Sharjah while the Men are off to Abu Dhabi - both next month

Women’s head coach Erin Osborne said: “It’ll be a really fantastic opportunity for the group to tour together. It’s important for the bonding and the culture side of things, but also to see the work that we’ve been doing in the indoor centre come to life. It will also allow us to come up with some plans and try and execute what we’ve been working on this winter.”

Jason Kerr, the Men’s head coach, said: “We’re heading back to Abu Dhabi where we know there will be incredible facilities.

The coaches talked about the importance of the pre-season tours. Jason said: “You get the chance to get the whole squad back together with no distractions. It’s an opportunity to set the goals for the summer and to get that connectivity. The guys who have been in Taunton this winter have worked incredibly hard and we’ve been very impressed but you can’t beat being on grass and being outside.”

Erin added: “As much as you want to replicate games indoors it’s not always possible. We’ve changed training up this year to bring in more scenarios and competition, but there’s no better feeling than getting out there with your teammates and trying to execute those game plans. So, having the opportunity to do that is really important in letting us set up the season.”

What competitive games will the teams be playing during their tours? Erin said: “ We are having a couple of training sessions, then looking to play three games, two 50 overs and one T20. I think this will allow people to settle in and understand what their role is in the team. I think when you’re doing a lot of net practice, you can sort of just focus on the individual and not really understand the broader picture and where you fit in with the team.

“It also helps to develop those relationships. It’s about putting in place how we go about communicating with each other and helping each other on the field and also problem-solving, particularly when put under pressure.”

Jason said: “We’ve scheduled four days of practice and five days of cricket against other First Class Counties. We’ve got three T20 games tied up in a tournament and then we’ll play a two-day game before we head back to the UK.”

How important is the off field element of these tours? Jason said: “Personally, I think it’s huge. it’s a captive audience for myself and the staff so we get a real opportunity to be really clear on how we want to operate as a team and what we want our cricket to look like. Everyone is looking forward to spending some quality time together and just really focusing on the season ahead.”

Erin said:“ Having the opportunity to get away with the group so that we can get to know each other a little bit more is key. Hopefully, it’ll be a relaxed and enjoyable environment as well. It can’t always just be cricket. I think you need to have time away from the game and I think this tour presents a really amazing opportunity to build those bonds.”