FOR most county cricketers, a benefit year can often mark the beginning of the end - but Peter Trego isn’t like ‘most county cricketers’.

In fact while other players his age are beginning to slow down, 33-year-old Trego has upped the ante both on and off the field – breaking records in the gym as well the middle - and says he still harbours realistic hopes of a deserved England call-up.

“Without doubt I’m statistically the fittest I’ve ever been, I look the fittest I’ve ever been, and I feel the fittest I’ve ever been – and there’s a number of reasons for it,” says Trego.

“It’s become a bit of a hobby and a passion of mine, trying to get the perfect ‘rig’, which I’m sure people who follow me on Twitter and Instagram (https://instagram.com/pdt7/) will unfortunately get the pleasure of seeing a couple of training shots.

“But also, I’m still hugely motivated to obviously play the best cricket I can for Somerset and I still think I should be in with a shout of playing for England - so that is the biggest motivation any sportsman can have and when the selectors see me hopefully banging all the runs and taking all of the wickets I’m going to take, then they look at my Instagram, they cannot use my age or my fitness levels as any excuse.”

The all-rounder is nearly four months into his benefit year at Somerset - having been awarded the honour in August 2014 – and says turning 30 has been a big factor in his fresh approach to training.

And the work certainly appears to be paying off – last season Trego became only the second Somerset player ever to top 1000 runs in a one-day season, including back-to-back centuries in the Royal London 40 over competition.

“I’ve always been fit - my injury record, touch wood, is very good. 

"I very rarely miss any cricket and haven’t done for the best part of a decade,” he says.

“I think it was more the timing, I think you can get away with certain things in your 20s, but when the ‘3-0’ kicks around you’ve got to re-evaluate and I think that’s why people drop off in their early 30s and end up probably retiring around where I am now.

“But you have to, when you get to 30, you have to take stop and really push on in the fitness side of it to keep ahead of the game.

“Anyone in any sport, who does well, has some sort of fitness regime and they look after themselves – you have to in your 30s and 40s.

“Because you can pretty much go to McDonalds and the pub most nights in your 20s and get away with it, but your 30s are a different kettle of fish and I think I’ve got the balance right.”

On the topic of England, Trego is bullish and in no doubt his name should be in the mix for selection following a shambolic World Cup campaign.

“What I could do is break a load of records, score 1,000 one-day runs AGAIN and hopefully that’ll be enough his time,” he says with a smile.

But for now, Trego knows runs and wickets will speak louder than any of his words and that another prolific season in the one-day arena may just be enough to give the selectors another almighty nudge.