'It's cut-throat' - what is it like to be a second XI cricketer?

'It's cut-throat' - what is it like to be a second XI cricketer?Image source, Leicestershire CCCImage caption, Sheridon Gumbs spent five years in the academy at SurreyByAndrew AloiaBBC Sport, East MidlandsPublished17 minutes agoEvery ball counts. It is a slogan made for The Hundred competition - the pyrotechnic-charged, music-pumping version of cricket bankrolled by billionaires.It is a world away from what you get on the fringes of the professional game, where first-class cricket meets well-manicured English village grounds that so often host second XI matches.At least, you would think so.For some, playing for the 'twos' is a tightrope cricketing existence and a last shot at trying to make it as a professional. Every ball really could count.But unlike The Hundred, where top earner Harry Brook will pocket £465,000 for a month's work, some second XI players on trial runs with County Championship sides are rocking up to play in matches on the UK daily minimum wage of just over £100, with a little more on top for expenses.That's what it was like for Sheridon Gumbs as he toiled day-to-day, game-by-game trying to prove himself at Leicestershire during a trial period that spanned a season and a half.For 18 months there was no contract, just that day rate, as the former Surrey youngster and England Under-19 international tried to piece together a career with a hit and hope attitude."You don't have that safety net because coaches are under no obligation to let you know how you're getting on or how you're sizing up to be part of that first team," the 22-year-old told BBC Sport."To me, it was go to training and if you're picked, rock up, try your best, try to perform and just take it and play it by ear."Yeah, 18 months is a long time, but you've just got to trust it. "Nothing easy is worth having and it's professional sport - it's not meant to be easy. It's cut-throat. "So...