COUNTY batsman Ben Smith took on a whole different kind of training regime this winter, by swapping his bat and pads for a bottle and nappies.

The former skipper, who scored 1,477 runs in last season's County Championship, stayed at home to train, but also became a father for the first time. In November, Ruby became the newest addition to the Smith family and since then there were a few sleepless nights for the doting dad.

During his career, Smith, who turned 34 last month, has spent his winters playing cricket in Zimbabwe, Australia and - more recently - New Zealand, but this year he opted for hitting the gym hard in Worcester instead.

He said: "I've been keeping myself busy and becoming a dad for the first time in November has kept me busy too. Ruby has settled now and she sleeps through from 7pm to 7am, which helps.

"I've been able to work really hard on my fitness recently and I'm now feeling really good. In fact, each morning when I get up, I feel like a 21-year-old!

"I like to think that the young lads that I work with at the club appreciate what I do for them. I suppose you could look at it as a father figure -- I certainly had some practice at that this winter.

"We've really tried to address the team ethos and worked hard with team building and discipline. The discipline was not in place over the last couple of seasons, but this year we've really nailed that."