‘It is very easy to overcomplicate T20 cricket’ – Hampshire spinner Mason Crane ahead of south coast Vitality Blast derby at The Ageas Bowl

Here, in our second Blast column, the England international talks about the influence of Shane Warne and the importance of always sticking to your plan as a spin bowler.

‘It is very easy for people to overcomplicate T20 cricket. It is a simple game. For me, anyway, it is about trying to keep it as simple as I can.

‘You can massively overthink it and dig yourself into a hole before you’ve even bowled a ball.

‘There is a lot more to look out for now than perhaps a few years ago. Batters can hit it pretty much anywhere. We’ve got to watch for all those shots and try and come up with ways to get round all the different stuff they’re trying to do.

‘You do have to do a certain amount of research on opposition batters, but at the end of the day it is about knowing what options they have, having a ball to bowl to it, and being confident and skilful enough to execute what you are trying to do.

‘You can see batters playing amazing shots but if you’re happy with the plan and the ball you bowled and they still hit it for six, then so be it.

‘It’s about holding your nerve. Having a plan is one thing but being able to execute it and having the courage, even when the ball is flying around, to stick with the plan is the key.

‘T20 cricket can feel like cricket on steroids. The pressure is there from ball one and the intensity is high, but you have to match it.

If you bowl well and execute enough of your deliveries, it can’t go wrong for too long. If you keep bowling well for long enough, you get your rewards.

‘Having such a good crowd like we do makes a big difference. My memories of T20 at The Ageas Bowl are us bowling second and defending a score; there are a few dots and the crowd get up and pressure builds, and it can make such a difference.

‘We want to make The Ageas Bowl a fortress again this season, like it has been in recent years.

‘I was very fortunate to spend a fair amount of time with Shane Warne. I think like any leg spinner my age he was obviously the player you looked up to. Everyone has tried to be Shane Warne in the garden.

‘He was amazing; a special man and a special player. He was such a great role model for any young spin bowler, and he was even better to me in person.

‘Everyone at the club is keen to build on the things he instilled when he was captain at the club.

‘If we can carry on his legacy and play cricket in the style he believed in, I think we’ll be just fine.’

Hampshire Hawks play Sussex Sharks at The Ageas Bowl on Saturday, with the game starting at 7pm. For tickets, visit: www.ageasbowl.com