Scots’ Sole ready to take on Sri Lankans
CHRIS Sole has recovered from a hand injury and cannot wait to be involved with Scotland as they take on Sri Lanka twice.
The 23-year-old seam bowler only made his international debut last summer, but such has been his rapid rise that he is now seen as a key man for the future by head coach Grant Bradburn.
The two matches on Sunday and Tuesday in Beckenham, Kent, are not ODIs, but will still be great exposure for the Scots.
Over the winter, Sole, the former Merchiston Castle pupil who has played most of his cricket with Mazars Grange in Edinburgh, was involved in the club game in Australia.
He was turning out for Albury and the right-arm fast bowler, whose father David famously captained Scotland’s rugby team to the 1990 Grand Slam, said: “It was a really good experience playing over there.
“I had a good 2016 so I just wanted to keep going with my cricket, so when the opportunity came up I jumped at it.
“Playing in different conditions and against different types of batsmen was useful for me and I think I learnt a lot from it.
“I then met up with the Scotland guys to play in the Desert Twenty20 event in Dubai in January and that was very enjoyable too.”
More good times were to come soon after for Sole when Hampshire offered him a deal for this summer.
“My younger brother Tom is at Northamptonshire and has flourished by being able to train every day and focus more on his cricket, so for me to get a chance at Hampshire is great,” he explained.
“I was selected to go on the club’s pre-season trip to Barbados and I was buzzing, but soon I was down in the dumps because while I was trying to take a diving catch in a match I hurt my right hand.
“At first they were not sure how serious it was, thankfully I avoided having surgery, but I had to return from the trip early.
“It has been a tough couple of months rehab and recovery, but I am enjoying it down here in Southampton and I am learning from some world-class cricketers like Kyle Abbott and George Bailey.
“The good news is that I am now back to fitness and managed to play in a second XI match last week.
“The upcoming matches for Scotland against Sri Lanka have been on my mind for a while now as you always want to test yourself against the best players.
“The Scotland squad is in a good place because, although we are missing a few guys, those coming in have really started their respective seasons with a bang and we will enjoy going out there in Kent and playing with each other.
“We will be focused and give it our best shot.”