Andrew Salter column: T20 Blast, Marnus, bikes and coffee

Andrew Salter made his first class debut for Glamorgan in 2012

Glamorgan spin-bowling all-rounder Andrew Salter takes over the BBC Sport Wales columnist role looking forward to the T20 Blast, reflecting on Marnus Labuschagne's influence and how his motorbike passion has unexpectedly turned into a business.

The start of the T20 Blast is a particularly exciting stage of the season and it's a quick turn-around for us after the Championship win over Lancashire, but coming off the back of a win is a feel-good factor for us and we're all itching to get started.

T20 is a fast-paced game, it's dynamic, it's an exciting brand of cricket to watch, and it's nice timing with the start of crowds coming back in to watch so fingers crossed we can give them something to cheer about.

It was great to have a small crowd back in for the first day of that match, it definitely adds a bit of energy even with a ripple of applause here and there. It's something we've all missed as players and we're really looking forward to bringing our 12th man back to Sophia Gardens.

With the addition of Marnus Labuschagne, Colin Ingram and Michael Neser, even though only two of them can play, we're bringing in that experience, we can fine-tune our strategies and really be excited for a good comp. We all need clarity in our roles in the team, it's about striking a balance and having the right people doing the right things at the right time.

Spin to win

Andrew Salter in County Championship action against Lancashire

As a spinner, I've been involved in the four-day matches in the past few weeks but due to the weather and the way the games have panned out I haven't had the level of involvement and impact I would have wanted. I just have to be patient, but T20 is a comp when spinners can have a big impact in the game. Batsmen are looking to be attacking, so the spinners can use that to their advantage with the right variation and field-setting.

I'm not sure about our young left-armer Prem Sisodiya calling us the "spin twins", but bowling in tandem our partnership last year was pretty good so hopefully we can build on that and stay one step ahead of the opposition. Cardiff can be a tricky place for spinners in T20 because we've had some batter-friendly wickets, it can be a challenge so it's really important to have clarity on our tactics and plan ahead for what delivery to bowl when - it's all about risk versus reward.

Excitable Labuschagne

It's great to have our Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne back on board this season after he played in 2019, with his class as a player, and his personality. He brings energy, and he's an excitable character as we've seen in the Big Bash league Down Under. Whether it's playing indoor cricket or bowling out in the middle, he's got that enthusiasm for the game and that rubs off on the rest of us.

That intense positivity is something we want to work on, he just loves, lives and breathes the game. During the long spells off the field with rain in recent weeks there's been lots of indoor cricket, with Marnus, Kiran Carlson and even our other Queenslander Michael Neser who doesn't mind bowling an over or two, so it felt as though the Blast was starting early.

There's a couple of other players who'll find a quiet corner to chill out and read, and there's a few lads studying so they're catching up on that and cramming in some late revision. I can't keep up with Kiran and Marnus because I'd struggle to play the next day with the way they go at indoor cricket, so I just try to catch up with my e-mails admin and I'm trying to read more these days.

Bikes and coffee culture

I'm involved in a motor-bike group who I get messages from - we've opened a cafe at Goytre in Pontypool four days a week. It's something that started off as a hobby and is growing into a business so that's a nice distraction for me and I'll normally jump at the chance to go off for a ride when my partner gives me permission! But that's easier said than done with my young, but not so little, dog Colin around now.

Whenever you do something you're passionate about and you can create something out of it, it works out organically. The Professional Cricketers' Association, where I'm one of the club reps, do a great job in having conversations with players on how to prepare for life after cricket, study, work experience etcetera.

George North will miss the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee

We always wanted to make a business out of our passion, it's bringing local like-minded riders together to share what we enjoyed. I'm not sure whether we actually consider ourselves bikers, those are the guys who turn up in the rain and the cold, but some of us just potter around when the weather's good and take pictures for Instagram. We get riders from all ages and backgrounds so that makes it quite rewarding.

Wales rugby player George North hasn't been able to get out much on his bike recently with his injury, so he's been busy helping out making the coffee at the cafe at the weekend, with a bit of a joust over who makes the best coffee. He's got a passion for coffee and bikes, like us all.

Celebrate good times

With the T20 Blast coming up, I've also been working on updating my wicket celebrations because I've been getting mixed reviews, my last one got a bit dated and the motor-bike celebration looked like I was mowing the lawn, so I'm trying to come up with something that'll work in this new Covid-affected, social distancing world. I might have to stay solo, so watch that pitch!