Interview with Daryl Mitchell ahead of Lancashire stint
New Zealand batting all-rounder Daryl Mitchell is coming home. No, really, he is after signing a mid-summer overseas deal with Lancashire to play in both the LV= Insurance County Championship and the Vitality Blast.
Mitchell, 31-years-old and available for four Championship fixtures and the whole of the Blast, has been one of the form batters in international cricket over the last 12 months, highlighted by three centuries in as many Test Matches in England last summer. He scored 538 runs at an average of 107.6 and won the player of the series award.
But his route to the game’s top table has been both varied and interesting. In 2016, he spent a season playing as a league professional for Blackpool at Stanley Park, where he played alongside good friends Steven Croft and Richard Gleeson. However, that’s not the reason for the ‘Daryl’s coming home’ theme.
When he was a youngster, he lived in England for four years, including three of them in Manchester, as he followed his father John’s career in Rugby Union. John is a former All Black international who progressed into coaching. His time in England included a spell as Sale’s head coach and also as part of England’s backroom staff.
“Coming over to England is something I’ve always enjoyed considering the time I spent there as a little kid,” said Daryl as he looked ahead to his time with the Red Rose county.
“When the opportunity presented itself to come to Lancs, I jumped at it. I have some really good mates in that dressing room, and it should be good fun.
“I think I was four at the time, and it was from around 1995 to 1999. I can remember parts of Manchester and going to school over there.
“Some things in life pop up and make you think, ‘That would be quite cool’. It’s a bit of a full circle moment for me, and - as I say - I’m really looking forward to it.
“I’ve played with Steven Croft and Richard Gleeson before, Will Williams as well. I can’t wait to do it again, and to play for such a proud county like Lancashire for three months or so will be really special. It will be really cool.”
Mitchell’s links with England extend to on the field as well. Not only did he perform brilliantly against them last summer - in a series New Zealand lost 3-0 - he made his BlackCaps debut against them in Test cricket in December 2019, scoring a first-innings 73 in a draw in his birth city of Hamilton.
In late 2021, at the T20 World Cup in the UAE, he also opened the batting against them and crashed a match-winning 72 not out against them in a semi-final win at Abu Dhabi as they chased 167 in a thriller.
“That’s not something I’ve really looked into to be honest,” he admitted. “I’m a competitor at heart and want to win games of cricket. If that means personal success comes along the way, then happy days.
“I’m just really proud to represent my country and get stuck in. That’s who I am - someone who puffs my chest out and gets stuck in with a smile on my face.”
It is certainly clear that adaptable Mitchell, a versatile batter and a canny medium paced bowler, is in the sweet spot of his career given his recent form.
He said: “I’m really grateful that I didn’t get thrown into the deep end of international cricket when I was too young (he only debuted aged 27). It allowed me to learn my game at first-class level, make some mistakes and work out what works for me and what doesn’t.
“Now, at the age of 31, I’ve been through tough times and good times, and I understand how I want to go about playing the game. That’s helped put me in a healthy place.”
Winning games is his main aim, and he joins a Lancashire team who are used to that having finished second in all three competitions last summer.
“Lancashire is definitely a team I’ve followed given my past links and with Crofty, Glees and Will being close friends,” he revealed. “I regularly look up on Cricinfo to see how they’re going.
“It’s definitely a proud and strong county with a lot of trophies behind them. And last year shows they know how to win games of cricket. To be part of a team like that is really exciting. Hopefully we can keep that up and bring home a trophy or two.”
Mitchell had a very productive time in the Northern League as Blackpool’s professional in 2016, scoring 830 runs and taking 38 wickets as the seaside club finished second in the league. He played a handful of times with Gleeson and Croft during that campaign, the latter who he already knew from a season playing together in New Zealand.
“Crofty was our overseas for T20 just when I was starting out with Northern Districts,” he recalled.
“For me, it was a really cool time to head over to Blackpool during the New Zealand winter and experience English club cricket. My wife (Amy) now, we were pre-kids and pre-wedding at the time. It was fun to travel over to the UK and also around Europe.
“We have some really close friends there who we still keep in touch with. I actually managed to pop up to Blackpool for a weekend last year after the Test series against England. It will be nice to get back there and see everyone again.
“We will be making Manchester our base for the few months we’re there, and that will be good for us as a family. We want to experience Manchester life and create some memories that will last us a lifetime.”
Two of Mitchell’s scheduled Red Rose appearances will come at Stanley Park; against Worcestershire in the Blast on June 7 and against Essex in the Championship on July 10. That will be the last of his quartet of four-day games.
“It will also be awesome to play there again,” he continued. “Cricket gives you some amazing opportunities in life, and that will definitely be one of them.”
So is he looking forward to re-visiting any old haunts - maybe a favourite chippy or going up the Tower again? “Nah,” he laughed. “I was a pretty boring guy back then who was just happy to cruise around.”
During his time with the club - his second spell in county cricket after a brief spell with Middlesex in 2021 - Mitchell will be one of three overseas players on the staff alongside Dane Vilas and and compatriot Colin De Grandhomme.
Fellow all-rounder De Grandhomme has started the season with Lancashire in four-day cricket and also play through the Blast.
“Dutchy was the all-rounder with us for the BlackCaps over a long period of time and someone I learnt a lot off in my early years of international cricket,” added Mitchell.
“He doesn’t die wondering and will always have a crack. I’m sure he will win a few games off his own bat with the amount of talent he’s got. He’s great in the changing room as well - he relaxes the environment a lot and has a lot of fun.”
Fun is clearly something Mitchell is keen to have during his time at Lancashire. Make no mistake, though, it is business first. Here is a player not only with immense quality but a steely determination to succeed.