Winter tours are tempting for Tom
TOM Westley’s superb form with Essex suggests he will be the next Lion let loose for England in the near future – and he admits that the winter tour could be the making of him yet.
Essex’s No.3 has fielded more questions about a callup in recent weeks than he is comfortable with, but after 887 first-class runs and four County Championship hundreds already this summer, he will have to get used to it.
And, despite having had a modest England Lions tour with the bat – averaging just 19.00 in six 50-over games against Pakistan A – the 27year-old believes working with Andy Flower and Graham Thorpe has been the catalyst for much of his good form..
The part-time off-spinner is a particularly intriguing option ahead of the trips to Bangladesh and India this winter, if not for Pakistan’s visit next month.
But having proven himself with tons against touring Australia and Sri Lanka sides in the last 12 months, Westley believes he will be judged solely on the strength of his batting.
“It’s difficult to ignore and flattering to be spoken about by (England coach) Trevor Bayliss, but there are a lot of talented guys scoring runs in English cricket,” said Westley, who scored his third List A century in Essex’s win over Hampshire on Sunday.
“There is a subcontinent tour this winter and I will continue to work on my bowling, but my main strength is my batting – I really only see myself as a second string option with the ball.
“I want to be the best back-up spinner I can be, and it obviously does me no harm that I can bowl a bit, but then you’ve got guys like Scott Borthwick who are scoring runs and can bowl as well. I shared a room with him in Dubai last winter. He is a quality bowler who has already played Test cricket, and has the ability to be a first-string leg-spinner as well.
“It’s been amazing to see the Lions guys getting included, like James Vince and Liam Dawson, and guys I played with over the winter are playing Sri Lanka at the moment – a lot can happen in 12 months.”
Westley is also quick to point to Essex’s ‘signing of the summer’ in batting coach Anthony McGrath, who helped the likes of Jonny Bairstow, Gary Ballance and Joe Root kick on at Yorkshire.
And though it could be perceived as a bonus to have had England skipper Alastair Cook at the other end as he constructed brilliant Championship centuries against Worcestershire and Gloucestershire, Westley does not think his Essex teammate will be doing him any favours.
He said: “We complemented each other well in those partnerships, but while he’s seen the best of me, he’s also seen the worst and probably picked up on my weaknesses.
“Some people say it’s a good thing to have a county colleague as England captain, but sometimes it’s that bit harder as he doesn’t want to be biased towards Essex.
“It took me a bit longer (than Cook) to work out the game, and Chelmsford hasn’t exactly been a batting paradise which makes my stats maybe look worse compared to others.
“But that makes me a better cricketer now, and compared to five years ago I’m a totally different player.”