So desperate to be part of World Cup win
Age: 20 Teams: England Visually Impaired, Warwickshire
What was your first experience of visually impaired cricket?
I started playing red-ball cricket at school in Solihull when I was nine and I did that until I was 13. I’d always had retinitis pigmentosa, but at 13 I couldn’t see the ball so I had to stop. I was desperate to keep playing cricket, but it took about half a year and a lot of asking around and emails being sent before I discovered visually impaired cricket.
During that six months I thought that was it, and I wouldn’t be able to play cricket again. Then I found visually impaired cricket, a new sport, a new challenge, and I’ve loved it. The chance to carry on playing was great, but I think you could ask anyone in the England team and they would rather have had the opportunity to play red-ball cricket, because it’s thought of as ‘proper cricket’.
Did you ever imagine as a teenager that you would go on to play for England?
I never could have imagined at the age of 13 that I would represent England. I’m so proud every time I do.You can never tire of it.
Without visually impaired cricket I don’t think I would have had half the opportunities that I have done by the age of 20. I’ve done so much travelling – I’ve been to South Africa, Australia, India. It is incredible really.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
There has been so much to enjoy, and so many memories created but winning the Ashes in 2016, in Australia, that’s probably been the highlight. I feel like I have achieved so much already, but I’m desperate to win a World Cup regardless of the format – T20, 40 overs – it doesn’t matter. It would be incredible to say England are world champions and I played my part.
Any low moments?
My lowest point is probably the T20 World Cup semi-final defeat to Pakistan in India just last week, because I really thought we were good enough to get through and could go all the way this time.
The belief is there, we are not fazed by taking on India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. We all believed we could do it, but we were at 80 per cent on the day, they were at 100 per cent and so it wasn’t to be.
What is your favourite stat about yourself?
I’m not really one for stats, but I am the youngest player to score a century for England in visually impaired cricket, which I’m proud of.
I was 16, playing at the 40over World Cup in South Africa against Australia in 2014. I scored 144 and I took the record from my room-mate and our captain Luke Sugg, so we have a bit of banter about that!
The only disappointment is that I was out before I could get to 150.