Gurney still hoping for England recall
HARRY Gurney is heading back to winter training with a spring in his step after signing a new deal with Nottinghamshire – and he’s hoping that teaming up with Peter Moores can help him reinvigorate his international ambitions.
The left-armer signed a contract extension that will keep him at Notts until 2019 following a season that featured 81 wickets across all formats. That wasn’t enough to propel him back to England’s oneday plans but a similar return next year could jog memories with a home World Cup approaching.
Gurney, 30, was handed his England debut during Moores’ time in charge of the national team and with the former England coach now taking the full-time reins at Trent Bridge, the bowler is understandably enthusiastic about the future.
“I was really chuffed from a personal perspective last season but obviously the overwhelming feeling was disappointment because we were relegated and didn’t quite have the T20 Finals Day we wanted either,” he told The Cricket Paper.
“I was really proud of my season personally, it justified the hard work I’d put in last winter. I want to try to kick on again from that if I can.
“If I’m brutally honest I don’t know the differences between last season and what had gone before. One major factor, I suppose, was playing so much cricket. I think I missed one T20 and three Championship games. Apart from that I played every match.
“Just being out there on the park and bowling more overs always helps.”
Gurney has taken 11 wickets in 10 ODIs and three wickets in two T20Is since his England debut against Scotland in 2014.
He hasn’t played for his country since the final match of a sevengame ODI series against Sri Lanka later in the same year.
Selection for the one-day leg of England’s tour of India would have been a suitable early festive gift but despite his efforts in white-ball cricket for his county that call still looks some way off.
“It’s always disappointing not to be in the England set-up but I wouldn’t say I was particularly expecting it if I’m honest,” he said.
“I’ve certainly not given up on it but England have a very strong white-ball team at the moment and they’re doing some really exciting things.
“Hopefully at some point I can force my way back in. I wouldn’t say I was overly surprised or disappointed not to have been selected but that doesn’t mean I’m not aspiring to get back into that side – I just need to keep taking as many wickets as I can.
“Before I got picked for England the first time I never really gave it a second thought. It just happened, one day the phone rang.
“I’ve managed to qualify for this North/South series in March in the UAE which is a good shop window for me. Hopefully, I can go over there and show the qualities I’ve got which, I think, would still be valuable in international cricket.”
Moores was named as the county’s new coach in September after spending time with the club as a batting consultant.
And the chance of working fulltime with him is something that Gurney is relishing as Nottinghamshire’s players prepare to hit the gym and the nets in the close season.
“He has been around at the club for a year or so,” said Gurney.
“Now, being in overall charge, he’s going to have a lot of input into how things are run across the whole squad and I think everyone is excited about it.”