Scott Borthwick hopes a winter in New Zealand will prove beneficial as he looks forward to the start of Durham's season.
Borthwick, who came through the ranks predominately as a leg-spinner, was Durham's batting star in 2015 when he piled up 1,286 runs in 16 matches at a healthy average of 42.87.
But the 25-year-old is keen to improve his bowling, which led to an England Test call-up at the end of the Ashes series in Australia in early 2014, and hopes changes in playing conditions this season will be a benefit to him, as well as other slow bowlers.
"It was fantastic to have a full winter in New Zealand, playing for Wellington," Borthwick told Sky Sports News HQ ahead of Sunday's Division One opener at home to Somerset.
"The idea was to go over and work with Jeetan Patel, which was fantastic as he is a top bowler, but I managed to get into their four-day team and it was fantastic to get some runs and a few wickets as well.
"Ever since I have come into the Durham side we've been successful. I'm not saying that's my fault but the last few years we've won three titles, and that's been fantastic. Hopefully that can continue this season.
"Midway through 2013 I got the chance to bat at No 3. It was always my goal to move up but maybe from eight to three was a bigger step than I wanted. But I've really enjoyed it and it's nice to be in the team as a batter as well as a bowler."
Among the changes in the County Championship this summer is the scrapping of the mandatory coin toss, designed to encourage the curation of better pitches.
And Borthwick hopes the move, which will see visiting captains offered the chance to bowl first, will be advantageous to spin bowlers after he only bowled 149.1 overs in 2015, taking 15 wickets.
He added: "This time of the season it's quite tough, with your fingers feeling a bit chilly. Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali bowled well in the World Twenty20, so hopefully it's promising - there's quite a few spinners around now so hopefully we can take a few wickets.
"Later on in the summer when teams are batting first, hopefully we'll get some dry wickets and I can come into my own at the end of games, bowling some 20 or 30 over spells I am not very used to here. If we do tend to bat first here then I might have a chance to bowl in the second innings."
Borthwick will be back playing alongside Ben Stokes when the all-rounder makes his domestic return - expected to be against Middlesex on April 24 - and he is backing his team-mate to recover from a heartbreaking finish to the World Twenty20 in India.
Stokes was left in tears after giving up four successive sixes to Carlos Brathwaite in England's six-wicket defeat against the West Indies in Sunday's final.
"Obviously he was massively down the other night, but knowing Ben, his character and his mental skills, he'll bounce back from that," he said.
"I don't think it will bother Stokesy too much. He's a fantastic cricketer and he'll be itching to get back playing for us, and England as well. He'll want to put that behind him, and he's definitely got the character and skills to do it."