My dad was an only child. His father raised him all but alone after his mother abandoned the two of them. He was only three years old.
Life without cricket was initially harder for my dad than playing the game for Yorkshire and England had ever been. He missed it, and also the adrenaline pump of a performance.
I think 'chuffed to bits' is a very Yorkshire way of describing my feelings for my friend and county team-mate Joe Root on his promotion to England captain.
Every young cricketer from our county dreams of playing for Yorkshire and going on to represent England.
I've always said I don't mind where I bat and I have exactly the same mindset when I'm batting seven as I would at five.
As a youngster, you take a lot of things to heart, so you have to learn to trust yourself.
I played fly-half in rugby, so I could influence the game, and midfield in hockey too. So it is part of my sporting DNA to want to be in the game at all times, to affect what is going on. That's down to genetics and being ginger, I reckon. We're special specimens.
But put it this way: if I have a bad day keeping, I know I can put it right with the bat, and vice versa. When it all comes together, happy days.
I really enjoy being in the game for every single ball.
