Centurion Umeed is happy to bide his time at Edgbaston
AFTER a century on debut for a side fighting at the top end of the County Championship most 20-year-olds would be dreaming of future glories – not Andy Umeed.
The Glaswegian hit 101 off 204 balls on his first-class debut for Warwickshire but his teammate Chris Woakes grabbed the headlines by bagging nine wickets in an innings.
Neither performance was enough to save the game for their side as Durham won by four wickets, but while Woakes’ performance propelled him into the England side, Umeed is just hoping his ton will cement him more chances in Warwickshire’s 1st XI.
“It was good to get some runs first off, I suppose it takes the pressure off a little bit, but there is still a long way to go,” said the Scotland international. “I’d love to be playing first team cricket for the rest of the season but it doesn’t always happen like that. “It’s just a case of waiting my time and make the most of the opportunities I’m given.” Umeed was told after training on the day before the match that he would be in the team to face Paul Collingwood’s side. Having batted before at Edgbaston he admitted there were nerves, but that excitement was the main emotion as he strode out to bat on the opening morning. “Everybody had told me to just go out there and do what I had been doing in the second team, which gave me a lot of confidence so I was full of excitement,” he said. With Warwickshire’s next red-ball game not until June 20 the young opener is currently in action for Warwickshire’s second team and he credited the county’s experienced internationals – such as skipper Ian Bell – in helping him prepare for making the step up. “Most counties have one or two but I think we have five ex or current Test players in our side which contributes a lot to the younger guys learning,” Umeed added. “It has helped during the winter, having them around, and into the summer when we started playing matches.”