THE BIG INTERVIEW: David Wainwright - I"m sure we can finish well
David Wainwright is congratulated during the Twenty20s by Darren Gough
You had an injury and as far as supporters were concerned you had disappeared to some extent at the start of the summer, then the Twenty20s came around and you hit the headlines. You must be pleased with how the last couple of months have gone.
Yes I'm really pleased. The Twenty20 couldn't have gone any better really, as far as I was concerned. I bust my finger the day before the season started so that was the worst start I could have had. For a couple of years now, with being at University, it's been like I've not been around that much. Now I've finally got into the team's one-day set-up it will hopefully lead to better things.
You've finished at University now?
Yeah, I got through that alright and played a bit of first-class cricket whilst I was there. I did a degree in Physics and Sports Science. I've been there and done it now and I've come back and cricket's number one on the list. I'm a full-time cricketer from now on &ndash first season at it.
Whenever you got thrown the ball in the Twenty20s you did well.
Yes. When the Twenty20s first came in everyone thought that spinners would be cannon fodder, but it hasn't worked out like that. Definitely this season the spinners have been the key to the games. I started at Lancashire on the TV which was nerve-wracking, but I got through that bowling at Brad Hodge who is one of the best players in Twenty20. You do have to think about your bowling a hell of a lot, change you pace every ball and watch the batsman. Number one is your line and length and trying to bowl within 9 inches of the stumps and you still give it a bit of a spin just to keep the batsmen on their toes.
Of the Twenty20 games you played in which was the most pleasing?
That's got to be the Durham match. It was the one of the shortest games I've ever played in, but it was definitely the best with the three wickets I got and finishing with the Man of the Match award.
David receives the Man of the Match Award after the Durham Twenty20 at the end of June from Yorkshire's Chief Executive Stewart Regan
Was it a disappointment to go out in the Quarter-finals of the Twenty20?
Yes it was. We'd bowled well all tournament and then on the night it was our fielding and bowling that let us down. We batted well that night, we just had too many to chase.
And that had been one of the trademarks of the Twenty20 campaign when Yorkshire came back from the dead in the group - really good bowling and fielding.
Yes it was. We had our plans when we went out there as bowlers and fielders. I don't know what happened that one night at Sussex, it just went wrong.
Some people seem to view the NatWest Pro40 competition as a minor tournament within the cricket season, but we've been doing well apart from recent setbacks - can we get promoted?
Yes. It might not be as popular as the Twenty20, but players definitely want to play in it and do well and it's a chance for youngsters in the squad to get out there and get some first team experience and we definitely want promotion in that competition.
Do you find it easier bowling in the NatWest Pro40 than the Twenty20?
I found it easier in the Twenty20 because I knew right from ball one that the batsmen were going to go after me. I expected them to play their shots. In the Pro40 you are bowling more overs and you don't quite know when the batsmen's going to have a go at you and try and hit you for 4 or 6 so it is a different approach.
You're twenty-two years old now. Is your long-term goal to cement a place in the County Championship side.
Yes, I see the Twenty20s and Pro40s as a stepping stone to making a claim for a 4-day place in the team.
You seem to have got the Yorkshire equivalent of the tag that Paul Collingwood used to have with England of being a one-day specialist. You obviously think you have a chance in the longer form of the game?
I don't mind being the one-day specialist as I think that's what my game suits. I definitely think that in the long-term my all-round 4-day game can improve. Like with many of the bowlers here at Yorkshire it's not easy to get up the batting line-up, but we can all bat and everyone is looking to improve all aspects of their game. Batting is definitely something I'm looking to improve at I'll be working hard this winter.
If you were to sit down with the coaches here and earmark one thing you would like to improve with your batting and bowling what would you choose?
I'd like to work on my balance with my batting, get my set-up right and increase my confidence really as this season's not been ideal with the weather. It'll just be back to basics in the winter as far as batting is concerned.
With my bowling it's about looking at consistency really. I've bowled quite consistently in the Twenty20s and Pro40s, but I'll be looking at the basics and spinning the ball and trying to build a consistency I can take in to the 4-day game.
David practices his batting on the pre-season trip to La Manga
When you were a kid what was it that got you interested in playing cricket?
My Dad played around the local league in Hemsworth. My Granddad did play a couple of games for Yorkshire Seconds and at schoolboy level &ndash I think I get my spinning from him as he was a left-arm spinner so it's in the genes and I can thank my Granddad for that.
Who were your role-models as a young cricket fan?
Definitely Brian Lara, watching him bat as I was growing up and I always aspired to try and emulate him and bat like him. As I've got older Daniel Vettori's been the spinner that I've watched and wanted to be like.
What has Vettori got that you think you are missing at the moment?
He's consistent in the same way as Monty. They don't try and change their action too much and try to bowl Doosra's, they just stick to basics, consistency and beating the bat and they're happy to bowl six balls in the same spot and put pressure on the batters.
You played at school and for a local club when you were a kid?
Yes, I started off playing at Slazengers in Wakefield when I was 7 or 8 under Ronnie Hudson who get me into the game there. I moved to Castleford when I was 12 and I've been there ever since with Mick Bourke coaching me there.
I was in at Yorkshire at a young age. I played Under-11s when I was ten-years-old and I've been in the set-up ever since then through the age groups and into the Academy.
What are your ambitions? If we were sat here in thirty years time what things would you have hoped to have achieved?
As long as I was happy with my career and had no regrets. I want to be able to look back and say that I'd tried my best and performed as well as I could and reached the highest level in the game possible and not let myself down &ndash just push on and do everything right.
What sets apart a cricketer that makes it to one that doesn't? There are plenty of talented youngsters - is there an ingredient that sets the successful players apart?
Just being able to take things in your stride. You have your good form and your bad form, but you can't let that get to you. You've got to work hard in the nets, keep yourself fit so that when it is your day you can go out there and do your best.
Taking things in his stride
Players are all sponsored individually and you and Greg Wood are sponsored by a fansite - The Corridor of Uncertainty - how much do you know about them and is it different to being sponsored by a shop or a business?
It is a bit different. I had been logging on there and then I saw I was being sponsored by The Corridor and it came as a bit of a shock to me. I've logged on quite a bit since and seen what's been said and the support that I've got from the people logging on there and it's great to see. I'm sure you wouldn't get that from a shop. It's been good.
Can Yorkshire finish on a high?
Yes I'm sure we can finish well and everyone around here is working towards that. These are the most important weeks and everyone will knuckle down and make sure that we do well in the 4-day competition and hopefully get that promotion in the Pro40. Darren and Martyn have often said that this is the business end of the season and this is where things are won and lost. We don't want to let ourselves down right at the end.
What is it like playing for the Club at the moment?
It's a terrific place to be at and there's a great atmosphere. As a youngster it's nice to be in this environment with Martyn and Darren. They've brought something special to the Club. Our one-day form has given us a boost and our 4-day form is speaking for itself at the moment. Everyone knows their plans and is going out and doing it. Everyone is upbeat and together this season. I've definitely enjoyed my first season as a fully fledged cricketer.
Thanks very much and best wishes to David Wainwright.