I WILL STICK TO MY GUNS!
New boy Lawrence backs his unorthodox batting to fire in the England middle order
It is apt that Dan Lawrence will make his England debut this week in the land of the cricketing unconventional. For Lawrence may have been made in Chingford, but he has a wristy, unorthodox style more at home in Galle, where he will face sri Lanka in the first test.
it will be the culmination of a journey to the top the exciting Lawrence has appeared destined to make virtually since he started playing for the Essex second team as a teenager, under the tutelage of a certain Chris silverwood.
And Lawrence, 23, will take a method described as unique to the highest level vowing to be true to himself when he stands in for the rested Ben stokes at No 5 for England on thursday.
‘i am a big one for trying to do things my own way,’ said Lawrence yesterday from England’s base in Galle. ‘You could call it unique but it’s not unique to me. it’s sticking to my guns and what i’ve done that’s made me successful so far.
‘ i don’t want to come into the England environment and change everything, because that wouldn’t be true to myself. A big thing for me is having confidence in my own game. i do believe i can be really successful at this level, it’s just a matter of going and doing it now.
‘if i do get the nod, i want to go out there and really express myself, not sit in a hole or let the situation get too much for me. that confidence in my own game is a big strength.’
Not that Lawrence (right) is the same batsman who burst on to the scene with a century against surrey as a 17-year- old in 2015. He made an adjustment ahead of last year’s Lions tour of Australia that completed his preparations for the big time.
‘i’ve had a big technical change over the last 12 months,’ he said. ‘i was triggering too much and getting out in ways i shouldn’t have done. i’ve really simplified things now and i feel very happy with my technique.’
He has lost none of the panache that has marked him as something different, perhaps special, from the days he grew up in a house on the grounds of Chingford CC in north-east London, as the son of the club groundsman, Mark.
‘i would pester him to hit balls in the nets every day, probably much to his annoyance,’ said Lawrence, who lost his mum Claire to a long illness last year. ‘He’ll be a nervous wreck if i play and it would have been great to have him and my brothers here. there will be a lot of people at home egging me on.’ One person in sri Lanka helping to get Lawrence ready is south Africa legend Jacques Kallis, who is England’s batting consultant for the next two tests.
‘it’s fantastic because he’s arguably the greatest cricketer to have ever played,’ said Lawrence. ‘We had a good chat today about batting and i had to pinch myself. so that’s been awesome. ‘ i’m loving every minute. if i do play, God knows how i’ll feel on thursday, but at the moment i’m pretty calm and full of excitement.’