Unlucky Roland-Jones is reeling again after new injury setback

Middlesex seamer Toby Roland-Jones has been hit by a new injury blow which has ruled him out of the remainder of the 2020 season.

The ongoing shoulder complaint is the latest in a cruel run of injuries for the hero of Middlesex’s 2016 Championship win.

Injury forced him out of contention for an Ashes tour spot three years ago after a dream start to his Test career. He then missed most of the following summer when the same problem reoccurred.

He came back to play almost a full season last year but after returning to action in Middlesex’s warm-up game at the Oval this July, he has struggled with right shoulder pain as well as picking up a quad strain. It meant he was unable to take up his new role as vice-captain of the four-day side.

While he has made an excellent recovery from the quad strain, on returning to bowling he continued to suffer with pain in his shoulder. Now investigations have revealed impingement and inflammation. He had injections this week and will rest for the next few days.

Although the club say he will make a full recovery it is unlikely he will feature in any of the remaining fixtures this season.

Speaking exclusively to TCP before this latest blow, Roland-Jones said time away from the game in the past had mentally prepared him for periods like lockdown, although he stressed that there were far bigger issues at stake this year than cricket.

“I'm probably getting too good at it to be honest,” he smiled ruefully. “It definitely is a bit of an art form for any professional to occupy the mind and deal with those periods away because it's certainly something that can be a little bit frustrating.”

After his hattrick heroics sealed the Championship for Middlesex in 2016, Roland-Jones burst onto the Test scene the following summer, taking 17 wickets in his first four Tests. However, he then sustained a stress fracture in his lower back which ruled him out of the Ashes.

Rehabilitation work and a Lions tour followed before a recurrence of the same injury spelled an immediate end to his 2018 domestic campaign.

Last summer Middlesex assistant coach Nick Pothas declared ‘Toby’s zip is back’. While Roland-Jones admitted the comeback was tough at times, both from a physical and confidence point of view, he took satisfaction from playing almost a full season, even it gave rise to feelings of ‘what if’.

That’s a question though that he is trying to put behind him.

“It's probably important in those circumstances not to feel like you’re hard done by or to try and think of the ‘what ifs’ because it leaves you guessing and probably leaves you looking at the wrong areas of your game often.

“There was always going to be parts of that creep into the mentality. Probably the skill is finding a way to dilute that and to really focus on what you're doing.

“Trying to recreate what things were back then takes too much away from the present. That's really the skill in those periods and possibly even for the guys coming back this summer [post lockdown] to focus on what they're doing and not spend too much time reflecting on what could have been.”

His five-for on Test debut against South Africa at the Oval though will always be a proud moment.

“Of course, like anyone, you always want to try and push yourself to get back there [but] you also know that isn't how things work and if you've got any hopes to do that, then you've got to focus on what you do for your county day-in, day-out.

“Probably towards the back end in particular, what helped me during last season was really just focusing on Middlesex, trying to do everything I could for that purpose alone and just letting go of anything else that you're holding onto. That can be tricky when you feel like you're trying to push your case or trying to find yourself looking up rather than looking at where you are too much.”

What has helped throughout his career, even when fully fit, has been an ability to switch off at close of play as soon as he gets home.

“Then you get into the next day and start again and don't dwell on things too much and press the reset button.

“Particularly the more pressured environment that you play in, that's particularly important just recognising that it's not about being perfect every day, it’s about being able to reset and always come back with the intent to be better and giving yourself the best chance of doing that.”

He has also managed to keep himself busy during times away from the game. After his injury in 2017, he threw himself into preparations for his wedding. During lockdown he turned his attention to renovating and decorating the new family home after moving in two days before the restrictions started.