DAN’S ON COURSE FOR SILVER SERVICE
DYNAMIC young Essex batsman Dan Lawrence will receive his first senior England call-up this week. He will be named in coach Chris Silverwood’s extended summer squad of up to 40 players.
Fast bowler Ollie Robinson as well as off-spinner Amar Virdi will also feature in the squad designed to cover Test match, ODI and T20 requirements if England play international cricket this summer. Training for some bowlers recently started and will be gradually stepped up in the coming weeks before a planned start of Test matches in July against the West Indies.
Pakistan are also due to visit, along with Australia for one-day and T20 fixtures.
The selection of Lawrence, 22, is perhaps the most eye-catching – but is just reward for an outstanding winter playing for the England Lions on their tour Down Under.
He averaged 98.50 in all formats and scored a match-winning 125 at the MCG when they beat Australia A in a Test-style match.
Lawrence said: “It was nice to get on flat wickets and show everyone I can score runs consistently. The main aspiration is to play for England. It is the ultimate dream.”
Lawrence is a modern attacking batsman and his talent has long been admired by England head coach Silverwood.
“Silvers was the first coach I had in the second team at Essex, and then he was the first-team coach,” said Lawrence.
“I’ve got a good relationship with him, he knows how I tick. If I get the chance to play under him again it would be brilliant.”
England’s endless search for the next high-class spin bowler will push them to take a close look at Virdi in training this summer. The Surrey off-spinner is only 21 but his potential is clear.
They also have high hopes for Robinson, a county team-mate of Jofra Archer at Sussex, and a fast bowler who impressed on the England Lions tour.
He took 63 wickets in the County Championship last year and his seven scalps were crucial in the Lions’ victory at the MCG.
Robinson, 26, said: “I feel I’ve had good momentum over the past couple of years – after that tour I am in a good place physically, mentally and cricket-wise.”
The squad will be named this week and the ECB may also announce the revised dates of England’s summer matches.
Meanwhile, it looks increasingly likely that the T20 World Cup scheduled for this October will be postponed for 12 months.
If that happens, the IPL may be played that month, either in India or the UAE. England’s star players would be available in that case.
Indian cricket boss Rahul Johri said: “The flavour of the IPL is that the best players around the world come and play.”
The ECB is happy for England aces to go to the IPL if safety allows. It will be the players’ choice whether they are prepared to travel.