BASHLEY’S Nick Baker revealed cricket was the inspiration behind his fight-back from an unexplained condition that left him permanently deaf in one ear.

Shaftesbury-based Baker, 26, is registered disabled after losing 68 per cent of his hearing and his ability to balance normally after collapsing in July 2011.

Doctors are still unsure as to what caused the complete vestibular failure which threw his life into chaos, causing a three-month absence from work and leaving him unable to drive or walk unaided near roads.

However, following lengthy rehabilitation, Baker is steadily getting back to normal with his wife giving birth six weeks ago to their first child – daughter Alaena.

But the sleepless nights are clearly not affecting the new father with Baker showing his Southern League credentials by posting 83 against Alton six days ago – his best score since returning.

Asked whether the thought of a return to the BCG had aided his recovery, Baker told the Daily Echo: “Absolutely. It has given me so much motivation.

“I probably wouldn’t have worked as hard at my rehab if I didn’t play with so many great guys at such a brilliant club like Bashley. My love for cricket made me push that little bit harder.

“There was a point when I thought I would never play cricket again because it is such a rare condition in people under 40 and the doctors didn’t know how I would adapt to life, let alone sport.

“I have to accept that it is probably as good as it is going to get now. It was just one of those things that can’t be explained.

“It has been a long physical rehab and I have had to work so hard at it because my balance is based on memory and eyesight.

“I played a bit of indoor cricket over the winter with (Bash skipper) Richard Morris and fell over a few times, which was a bit embarrassing but that was a big part of getting used to it all again.

“Batting is okay because you can keep your head relatively still but fielding is more of a challenge.

“I need a fixed focal point to keep my balance and it can be quite difficult if the ball is high or I am running or watching the ball through the air with the background moving.

“I have got to accept that I will drop the odd catch and try to live with it, unfortunately. The key is to try not to be too flashy and try one-handed pick-ups on the boundary.”

Bashley include Baker for their trip to Hampshire Academy tomorrow (11.30am). Captain Richard Morris makes one change to his side as Sean Terry returns in place of Josh Digby.

Bashley: Terry, Thurgood, Baker, Higgins, Morris, Watkins, Ridley, Friedman, Neal, Grierson, Nash.

  • Dorset pair Tom Barber and Lewis McManus, together with Bashley’s Ryan Higgins, have been named in a 14-man England under-19 squad for next month’s tri-series against Bangladesh and Pakistan.

Barber, who played for Parley, and McManus, who came through the Dorset ranks, are both at the Hampshire Academy, while Higgins is on the staff at Middlesex.