Keeper Ben Cox believes he is reaping the benefits of "taking apart my game" in Australia during the winter after impressing with the bat in recent innings for Worcestershire in the LV = County Championship.
Cox has been the county's top scorer in their last four Championship innings against Sussex (second innings), Somerset (one innings) and Warwickshire (both innings) with scores of 48 not out, 109, 45 and 44.
He took a long hard look at the strong and weak points of his game while playing grade cricket this winter for five months with Greenvale Kangaroos after being disappointed with the way his season fizzled out with the bat during the final quarter of last season.
Cox said: "Did I change anything? To be honest, I analysed my game when I was in Australia with things I'm good at, things I'm weaker at and how opponents are going to bowl at me.
"I looked at my technique and what I could tweak to sort of counter where those bowlers would bowl at me.
"To be in fair in Australia, it was exactly how people would look to bowl at me, with the reverse swing, look to bring me across the crease and then go straight which is how I was getting out at home.
"It was a lot of almost analysing myself and taking apart my game and countering where I was weak and being brutally honest with myself in terms of where I was poor and making adjustments to get better.
"It was just a couple of things. I was getting bowled through the gate a lot and being lbw. I've taken steps to make sure my balance is going forward and looking to hit straight.
"It is pretty simple but sometimes the simple things are the most effective."
Cox admits his knock at Hove during a last wicket stand with Charlie Morris triggered his upturn in fortunes.
He said: "I started off real poor for the standards I set myself with the bat. I didn't feel bad. I had two decent balls against Yorkshire and my third innings against Sussex was outside the line.
"It was one of those situations where things weren't going my way but you've got to stick at it and hopefully your hard work will turn it around.
"Did the Sussex second innings get me going? Yes, playing with that bit of freedom because it was almost like we had lost the game. Myself and Charlie were able to play a free-scoring game. We had nothing to lose.
"If anything, I was just looking to play aggressively which you wouldn't think of in those situations and try and put some pressure back on the Sussex side because it was all going in their favour."
*We will be featuring more from Ben on the Worcs CCC website and in the County 365 magazine about what he rates the best catches of his career, his sporting hero and other topics.
