Chris Sole's day job is to find work for other people which must make it a nice change being the one head-hunted for once.
The seamer is taking a short sabbatical from his recruitment post with DR Newitt to play for Saint Lucia Kings in the Caribbean Premier League, giving him the honour of being the first Scot to feature in what is one of the most watched leagues in world cricket.
Sole, the son of rugby legend David, has been around the international scene for a while now but it was his devastating form with the ball at the recent 50-over World Cup qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe that brought him to the attention of a wider audience.
Scotland may have fallen agonisingly short of reaching the finals but, in taking it all the way to the final game, a number of individual players enhanced their reputations and prospects in the process.
Sole’s 11 wickets in a tournament that was broadcast live on TV was one of those to shine, most prominently in the win over the West Indies in which he took a brace of wickets. That led to a conversation with Daren Sammy which in turn has led to this opportunity, with the 29 year-old preparing for the opening game against the Jamaica Tallawahs.
“It’s very exciting,” he said. “It’s a tournament I’ve watched over the years and it’s good to get out there and rub shoulders with some of the players I’ve played against in the past. It will be a nice change.
“Performing well on TV over in Zimbabwe was a big changing point for me. I felt like I’d been putting these performances in for Scotland for a while but they don’t really get seen when it’s just the scorecard or shown online. But when they show it on TV it definitely seems to help getting your name out there, especially when you’re playing some of the bigger teams too.
“Daren Sammy is the head coach at Saint Lucia and he was also head coach for the West Indies when we were out in Zimbabwe so it was handy to play well against them and do it in front of him."
Sole’s Scotland career has been a bit stop-start due to injuries, work demands, plus his decision to take time out to go and live in Australia for a few years. His performance in Zimbabwe, though, showed what a big asset he can be with the new ball when fit and firing and he believes time is still on his side.
“Fast bowling is a funny one as your body only really seems to mature when you get to your late 20s,” he adds. “So physically, being able to stand the stress of bowling, I’m probably in a good place now. My journey hasn’t been a typical one, it’s had lots of sideways movements along the way. But it’s nice to get this recognition at this point in my career and hopefully go on to kick on.
“While the opportunities are there and more and more T20 franchises are popping up it’s certainly something I’d be keen to get involved in. I felt in a pretty good space over in Zimbabwe. I was feeling pretty fresh and everyone was pretty clear on our objectives.
“Role clarity was very important across the group. So my job was just to go out there and take some early poles and luckily I managed to do that.
“It just seemed to click for me on a personal level. It always seems to help me being in a warmer country. It feels a bit tougher in Scotland in the early season when we’re playing in 10C! But I felt in a good rhythm in Zim and my body was in a good place.”
Sole missed the T20 World Cup qualifier in Edinburgh with a minor rib injury but hopes to play his part when the finals roll around next June. His only frustration is that there is little international cricket on the horizon for Scotland in the meantime.
“I’d hope to be involved at the World Cup if I can stay in one piece and keep bowling well,” he adds. “I’d love to have a chance to feature as I’ve travelled to two World Cups and not played in either so it would be good to get out there and play my part.
“It’s very frustrating [not having more Scotland fixtures], especially when we’ve gained so much momentum and are playing really good cricket. You want to be carrying on with that while we’re gelling so well. But there’s not much we can do about that.
“Doug Watson came in and did a phenomenal job as head coach in such a short space of time and really helped us to take it to that level. It’s disappointing to see him go but we’re also thankful for what we did while he was here.
“It’s a shame we don’t also have a World Cup at the end of this year too but we’ll look forward to next summer’s when it comes around.”
