IT SEAMS PAT HAS X FACTOR
CRICKET Brown aims to give good account of himself against Kiwis
IN the crash, bang, wallop world of Twenty20 cricket it helps if you have a head for figures.
Which is why Pat Brown could be just the man England need as they try to build a team capable of making it a 50 and 20 over World Cup double in Australia next winter.
The Worcestershire seamer could make his England debut against New Zealand in the opening T20 of their fivematch series in Christchurch on Friday.
If he does, it will crown a remarkable rise for a cricketer who was first spotted at an open day after slipping through the net as a junior.
Ambition
But if things don’t work out in cricket, he won’t be short of career options elsewhere. “This beats accountancy,” he says, “I’ve got a degree in business management but I’m not sure what I would have done if I hadn’t made it as a cricketer.
“I would have probably gone down that accountancy route, which would have been pretty boring in comparison to this.
“A cricket career was looking unlikely. But when I was going to trial days I have to be honest and say that being a professional cricketer wasn’t my dream.
“It wasn’t the be all and end all. My ambition was to just get the best out of the potential I had. I wasn’t pinning my hopes on being a professional, I was trying to be the best player I could be.
“If that was enough to be a pro then great. If not, I wasn’t going to lose sleep about it.”
After being picked up by Worcestershire in his teens at a Pace
Factor competition – a sort of X
Factor for fast bowlers – t he
21-year-old has been on a fast-track to T20 stardom.
Superb performances at successive Finals Days for Worcestershire have propelled him in England’s plans as they look to add a global T20 crown to the 50 over World Cup they won at Lords this summer.
Brown’s mix of slower balls and cutters have bamboozled batsmen in domestic cricket. And now he’ll be out to do similar to the Kiwis in England colours.
One thing’s for sure – he won’t be fazed by the challenge, regardless of who is at the other end. It has been a mad three years to be fair,” he says. “I was pretty calm and chilled out about it all until I got my playing kit delivered.
“I saw my name on the back of my shirt, with the Three Lions on the front. That’s when it hit me – oh my god, I’m going on an England tour.
Character
“I love getting into the competitive battle – I love it when someone is coming all guns blazing for me.
“And me letting them know that I’m coming for them as well. Bowling at the death isn’t always a pleasant experience but I’ve got the kind of character that can cope with that pressure. It brings the best out of me.”
After thinking his chance had passed him by, Brown is keen on making up for lost time. The office job can wait.