Test Match Special - Good Pace for Radio Episode 0: Scenario-based training and Blippi

Episode Date: October 19, 2021

England bowlers Mark Wood and Tymal Mills introduce a new podcast that will take you behind the scenes of England’s T20 World Cup campaign in the Middle East. In a preview episode, they talk about how Tymal is finding life back in the England camp after four years, the details of ‘scenario-based training’, and why Tymal’s been doing the Hokey Cokey.

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. The Dakar Rally is the ultimate off-road challenge. Perfect for the ultimate defender. The high-performance Defender Octa, 626 horsepower twin turbo V8 engine and intelligent 6D dynamics air suspension. Learn more at landrover.ca. BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. Hello and welcome to the first.

episode in a brand new podcast called Good Pace for Radio. I am Tamal Mills and I am Mark Wood is with me here oh sorry that's your bit sorry but that was the scripted a bit I'm Mark Wood thanks for listening and we're out here in Dubai in the UAE getting ready for the T20 World Cup we've finished a training camp out in Amman in Muscat's which was very nice and we're now ramping up to the first game against the West Sydney's at the end of the week we're going to hopefully be giving you some good insight into life as an England cricketer especially during this bio bubble period. We'll be hearing from all different types of people.

We've got our families out here with us. We've got physios, players, masseuses. Anyone you want, really? Anybody you want, you can hear from. Big Reg the security man, I'm sure he'll have some stories to tell. But yeah, we're going to try and give you as much insight to the cricket and to life off the field as we possibly can. So I hope you enjoy.

I hope we're going to be giving you an episode or two every week. We'll try and keep it as interesting as we can. So make sure you're subscribed to the BBC Testamatch Special feed on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your podcasts, all that good stuff. First place to start, I guess, would be the name. Good Pace for Radio. What do you think? I'm quite happy that I think it suits us well.

Yeah, I was quite impressed, to be honest. Well, our producer sent it through, and I had a low bar set, but I think good pace for radio is good. I was thinking if I want to mix it up, we'd go a bit more Iron Maiden, run to the Mills, but then we'd have to have the theme song run to the hills, would be a bit heavier feel that for a podcast and it doesn't include you either

yeah but I'm happy to be your number two you know Batman needed Robin you know we've got to have a sidekick here so well I've been sent the list of some of the ones that didn't make the cut you've got life in the fast lane not bad yeah I don't mind it Mills and Toon Toon Toon Happy yeah

Things are done well at the minute Bulls and bubbles which I don't quite understand No not for me that one Amazing pace Nice but too too nice too nice I want something a bit more with a bit more fire. Yep.

All about that pace. I mean, that sounds more West Indian to me. All about that pace, man. And then thrills and spills with wooden mills, which to be fair, I think is very good. Yeah, that's my favourite, actually. Apart from the one that we've got. Yeah, I think we've settled on the best one. So, yeah, anyway, that's the name of the podcast.

We're going to be giving you an episode or two each week throughout the next four weeks or so, hopefully, if we can come up with enough decent stuff to talk about. But, yeah, anything you want to jump out there with? Well, how have you found it being back in the setup? I know you've been away for four years, so are you enjoying being back? Nah, it's been shocking. It's been good fun.

It's one of those things, isn't it? Like, yeah, I haven't played for four years, but nothing's really changed, does it? All the lads I already knew anyway, a couple of members of the backroom staff, you just get to know, but cricket dressing rooms are pretty similar, aren't they, no matter where you are,

if you're playing country cricket, international cricket, whatever it might be. But, no, I've loved it. And I'm looking forward to the comp starter. How have you found the training side of things? It's been different even for me with the scenario-based training. So for those listening, we've had to do things like defending one ball at a time, so we have to defend a six, then we had to defend a four, then a two.

And then finally, one to win, we had to defend that one to win. Did you find that training different? Is that something you've been used to before? Yeah, in terms of the pressures, in terms of doing it in the middle. You can do it in the next, don't you? But we actually did it out in the middle with fielders. so you can actually see what's happening. That's something that probably cricket doesn't always get right, isn't it?

You're just bowling the nets and the batter will hit it somewhere. The batter thinks they've hit it for four or six. The bowler thinks we've got them out. We've got 24 fielders at all time, haven't we? 100%. They're never get it through that gap. So these are good, yeah, as you say, we're going out there, you're bowling, Jason Roy hits you for six or he gets caught on the boundary.

You can actually see what's going on. But, no, it's been, it's been really good. I found that difficult, actually, the scenario based off, because actually then the pressure was more. like a match wasn't it because it just had rammed up a little bit and actually you then get a perception of right if we're in that situation and we talked about it after about having clarity of different fields or things we're trying to do and having that clarity then speaking about it with everyone else then they know what you're trying to do so if it comes to the competition no one's then second-guess

or trying to or doesn't understand what each ball is trying to do yeah and that for me that's been a big thing as well because obviously I haven't played with Joss or Morgs or whoever's captaining at the time so to get that relationship going and for you guys I've played a lot with CJ but I haven't played a lot with you, Wokesy, Dave those guys as well

so yeah that's been that's been really good to hear some that's a taste of some of the real big insight we're going to give you to life as an England cricketer also got our families

out here with us you've got your wife Sarah your little boy Harry we had a birthday party yesterday did yes blippy was the theme because that's his major you know

thing that's in his life at them and it's blippy I mean we're watching it morning, noon and night, so a blipy themed second birthday party which was great, all the kids not involved. You were there as well. I'm disappointed you didn't get up for the hokey-cokey, but

you did do that as part of the kids club, didn't you? Yeah, we had a kids, we're looking for ways, obviously, to keep the kids entertained whilst we're in bubble lives and one of the great ladies, Claire, who's out here with us, she set up a Zoom kids party, and yeah, I was

doing the hokey-cokey with the kids. Front-anser, you're the main man, I don't know why you have playing it down yeah we're going to speak to everybody i've got my wife india i've got my daughter delphi a lot of the guys have their families out here which is really nice so we'll hear from them see what they've got to say what what life's like in the bubble for them um but yeah i think we'll keep it short and sweet for for this episode just a tear stuff yep just a little wet the palate um we'll be back later in the week what we've got another warm-up game tomorrow against new zealand so we'll get that out of the way and then it's kind of full steam

ahead first proper game on saturday against the west indies so we'll probably look to record another episode Thursday or Friday. Get that out there before. So yeah, make sure you're subscribed and you're ready and hopefully we'll entertain the masses. Cheers. See you next time. BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. Can I stop the recording now?