Neser eyes UK return after deal is cancelled

Michael Neser remains hopeful of taking up his proposed contract with English outfit Surrey next northern summer despite being the first overseas signing to have his county tenure cancelled due to the ongoing impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Neser, who signed with the south London team at the conclusion of last year's Ashes campaign, was due to play the first half of the county season (scheduled to begin this week) but the decision to shelve the deal was made in consultation with Surrey and his manager.

The 30-year-old was told that while the UK's county season has been officially postponed until May 28, Surrey had indicated any potential starting date is likely to be much later than that, which would have made his tenure at The Oval fleeting at best.

But the South Africa-born Queenslander is hoping terms might be reached for him to turn out for Surrey in the 2021 northern summer, provided he meets whatever eligibility criteria and scheduling conflicts are in place by then.

"My management was speaking with Surrey and they said the season is probably going to get pushed back even further and there's probably no point in me keeping that contract," Neser said today, after being awarded the Ian Healy Trophy as Queensland Cricket's men's player of the year.

"I just thought it was the right thing to do with what's going around in the world, and I trusted what my management suggested I should do.

"I'm just happy that Surrey gave me the chance in the first place, so hopefully next season – there's no promises made obviously, but hopefully I could potentially go back.

"We'll have to wait and see on eligibility, but hopefully things work out and next season can go ahead."

Neser was one of a raft of Australian players to have signed to take part in UK first-class and/or limited-overs competitions this year, among them Nathan Lyon (Hampshire), Cameron Bancroft (Durham), Peter Siddle (Essex), Marnus Labuschagne (Glamorgan), Peter Handscomb (Middlesex) and Travis Head (Sussex).

But with uncertainty remaining over when or if the England season might get underway, and international travel bans strictly in place, Surrey's Director of Cricket (and former England captain) Alec Stewart praised Neser for acceding to the cancellation.

"Given the testing times we find ourselves in, I would like to thank Michael Neser and his management company for their total understanding of the current situation and full agreement of this decision," Stewart said in a statement today.

"The wider issues the sport is facing is paramount and it was refreshing to know Michael and his representatives are looking at the bigger picture in this sensible and responsible way."

Despite being part of Australia's Test squad for the 2019 Ashes and subsequent series against Pakistan and New Zealand during the recent home summer, Neser has yet to earn a Baggy Green Cap and admits he carried a few minor injury "niggles" throughout the season.

However, he had planned to take a week's break at the scheduled conclusion of the Marsh Sheffield Shield season (originally due to end March 31) before heading to the UK where he believed he would have felt suitably rested to begin his county stint.

He revealed he has been beset by hamstring tendon problems over recent years, and will use his enforced isolation due to COVID19 restrictions – during which he will engage in regular hill runs near his home in Brisbane's north – to fully recover.

"I've been playing the last three years with a niggle here and there, so I would have been just fine (at Surrey) but this is a good chance to refresh," he said.

"I'm just trying to make a positive out of not playing cricket.

"I would have loved to play for Surrey, but things didn’t work out."

Neser was expected to have been highly effective in UK conditions given his record with the English-manufactured Dukes ball that has been used in the second half of Australia's Shield competition for the past few seasons.

But he added that his strike rate for Queensland in 2019-20 – 33 wickets at an average of 17.30 from six Shield appearances – which was integral to claiming his third Ian Healy Trophy also showed he had improved his effectiveness with the Australia-made Kookaburra ball.

And he warned that while the Dukes ball benefited his style of bowling with its propensity to swing throughout an innings, it also heightened a bowler's risk of being punished by over-pitching or getting too straight in the expectation it would move.

"I do enjoy bowling with the Dukes, it obviously offers a bit more and allows me to bowl a bit fuller," Neser said in outlining what he had hoped to work on during his stint with Surrey.

"But in saying that, the Dukes ball can bite you because if you don’t bowl well with it, your errors are exaggerated.

"Some people struggle with the Dukes because of how much it does swing, but I've enjoyed it so hopefully they keep using it (in the Shield competition)."

When the Shield season was prematurely called off due to the coronavirus restrictions, Queensland were in third place behind eventual winners New South Wales and less than two points adrift of second-placed Victoria.

Given the Bulls last scheduled match was against bottom-ranked South Australia, Neser understandably felt Queensland stood a good chance of reaching the final had the summer been able to realise its planned climax.

"It was a horrible way to finish the season, it just didn't feel right," he said.

"Obviously it was the right decision with the coronavirus effect, but I still felt like we were in for a shot there to make the final.

"I still feel a little bit of a hole in my heart thinking 'what if we could have won the Shield?'

"But credit to NSW, they probably were the best team throughout the season."