New ball added to my nerves

GARETH BATTY admitted he had never been more nervous in his long career after bowling for the first time in a Test match since June 2005. But the Surrey spin bowler spoke with pride as he reflected on the crucial wicket of Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal, caught behind for 78. ‘When you are just an average player you enjoy every bit of success,’ he said. ‘I felt I had set him up a bit and just skidded it through. It is nice to get very good players out. ‘When you stick the England shirt on, it is an amazing feeling and I don’t think I have ever felt like that before in my career. ‘It was nerve-racking, but that’s a good thing. You know you’re alive when the nerves are jangling.’ Having settled into life as a county cricketer with Worcestershire before returning to Surrey, one of his former counties, in 2010, Batty found himself bowling the second over of the Bangladesh reply. ‘I’ve never bowled with the new ball, which added to the nerves,’ he said. ‘My first ball was a bit of pie, so it was nice to get that out of the way but there were some decent balls as well. ‘I leaked probably 10 more runs than I should have done. You want to hold the game and not let them get away from you.’