The 2022-23 summer was supposed to be different for Billy Stanlake.
Buoyed by a fresh start in a new state, the 204cm quick was eyeing a return to the field after missing the entire previous season due to a stress fracture in his back first suffered in May 2021.
All was going to plan up until Christmas after he played three T20 club matches for Tasmanian Premier League team Greater Northern Raiders and was named in the Hobart Hurricanes squad for the first time for their clash with Perth Scorchers in Launceston on December 19.
But then out of the blue came yet another setback, with Stanlake straining his hamstring during a routine training session just a day after returning to the fold.
“It was very strange, the first soft tissue injury I’ve ever had,” the 28-year-old told cricket.com.au.
It ruled him out for another eight weeks, on top of the 83 weeks he’d already spent on the sidelines since sustaining the back injury while bowling for Derbyshire during his County Championship debut.
But as has been the case throughout his lengthy stint of rehab, Stanlake was able to find a silver lining, fighting his way back before the end of the season to make his Tigers debut, albeit in the Second XI.
“(The rehab) is a bit easier when it’s only eight weeks rather than 10 months,” he said.
“The most important thing is my back is in good nick, the body’s feeling good and I got through those last couple of games at the end of last season.
“I thought it was important to try and get back for those last couple of games with the lack of cricket that I’ve played.”
That lack of playing time was the major factor in his decision to escape the chilly Hobart winter and shake off a bit of “rust” in the Top End this off-season as one of the marquee recruits for the Northern Territory Cricket’s Strike League limited-overs competition.
The month-long tournament featuring 10 one-day and 11 T20 fixtures will pit Stanlake up against some of the nation’s rising stars, with the likes of Brisbane Heat big-hitters Josh Brown and Max Bryant, NSW pair Ryan Hackney and Jason Sangha, Perth Scorchers KFC BBL|12 final hero Cooper Connolly and recently de-listed Queensland batter Sam Heazlett heading to Darwin for some valuable off-season match time.
“I didn’t really want to be here training for six months again, that’s pretty much all I’ve done for the last two years,” Stanlake said.
“So I just thought it was good opportunity to go up and play a little bit of cricket without going too crazy on the workloads, (which) is going to be really beneficial.
“It’s important for the body just to get back to playing as well. I think the longer you’re not doing it, is sometimes worse for your body.
“You need to get the body going again, get that match fitness and get used to playing at (high) intensity again.
“It’s a really good way to set myself up to hit the ground running and have a really good season with Tasmania.”
While he’s not usually big on setting goals, he is hoping he will be available for the Tigers’ first game of the season come September.
“I just want to be available for as much cricket as possible and play as much cricket as I can,” Stanlake said. “I don’t really know what that looks like but that’s why it’s important to be going up to Darwin and getting some playing time in, so there’s no questions about ‘am I ready to go or not’ and at the start of the season, I’m going to be raring to go.”
With the off-season departures of Tasmania’s two highest wicket-takers in both formats over the past three seasons – Jackson Bird to NSW and Peter Siddle to Victoria – Stanlake’s return will be crucial to the Tigers’ fortunes next summer as they look to rebound following a disappointing 2022-23.
“(Those) two guys did the bulk of the overs in Shield cricket,” he said. “It’s a lot of overs to fill and we’ve got a lot of young bowlers, so it’s a great opportunity for everyone to step up and take that chance to bowl more overs.”
