England nous now drives Yorkshire's opening batsman Joe Sayers (From York Press)

England nous now drives Yorkshire's opening batsman Joe Sayers

10:58am Thursday 28th January 2010 in

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Joe Sayers says he knows what it will take for him to make the step up to full international honours.

The Yorkshire opening batsman spent five weeks at the ECB’s Performance Programme camp in South Africa prior to Christmas, working with top coaches such as Graham Gooch and batting guru Dene Hills.

“I came away from that experience with a thirst for more,” said Sayers, the 26-year-old left-hander.

“It was hard work, but that’s to be expected. I’m keen to make the improvements required to make that step up to the next level.

“There are no guarantees of short-term success in cricket, but I think in the long-term it will certainly make me a better player.

“It’s been somewhat of an eye-opener to be involved with the Test squad and their preparations for the series. Just to be involved in a different culture, a culture of excellence.

“More than anything, what all the players realised was that to be a successful player at that level is all about relentless performance and making sure you get the basics of the game right.

“There is nothing revolutionary – it is all about being excellent at the simple parts of the game.”

Sayers’ point about no guarantees of short term success was highlighted just last week when he was left out the England Lions squad for their forthcoming tour of the United Arab Emirates.

He is the only one of the four Yorkshire players who went out to South Africa before Christmas who will not be on England duty over the next couple of months.

Andrew Gale and David Wainwright will be on Lions duty, while Ajmal Shahzad travels to Bangladesh with the full squad.

Even so, he continued: “With a couple of months to go before the start of the season I feel in a good position – maybe slightly ahead of where I’d usually be.”

Sayers scored more than 1,000 County Championship runs in a season for the first time in 2009, capping an impressive return from months of terrible form.

Yet he failed to break into Yorkshire’s one-day sides on a regular basis.

He hopes things will be different in 2010. He added: “I’d certainly like to have similar or more success in the four-day game.

“But one of my key aims is to play in every form of the game and to find a role in the shorter form of the game so that I will be able to make a difference."

• Joe Sayers was speaking at the launch of the North Yorkshire playing for success scheme at Headingley.

The initiative aims to raise achievement in literacy, numeric and ICT skills for children who are at risk of underachieving, using the stimulus of cricket to motivate them.

The North Yorkshire Playing for Success scheme is the first of its kind in the country, delivering cricket-themed classroom work and cricket coaching to schools.