Ned taking tips from Old Enemy!
Nigel Gardner finds that it’s an Australian helping an Englishman to push his way into the Three Lions
If Ned Eckersley achieves his ambition of pulling on an England shirt, he will be forever grateful to an Australian for helping him on his long journey.
The 27-year-old Leicestershire batsman showed why he has been on the Three Lions selectors radar for several years with a career-best 158 in the high-scoring draw at Derby.
Although the pitch offered little for the bowlers, it was still an impressive display of fluency and timing from the right-hander who needed only 91 balls to reach three figures.
Eckersley batted for 38 overs with his captain Mark Cosgrove, and he recognises the role the South Australian has played in his development as a cricketer.
“Some of the stats I’ve seen about what he’s done throughout his career are fantastic, and it’s good to spend time with him and talk cricket and batting,” Eckersley said.
“To watch him is quite special at times, some of the shots he plays and the ability he has is breathtaking, especially when you’re at the other end. He’s a big inspiration for me and he’s been a big part of my learning curve over the last two or three years.”
Eckersley had never got to 150 before and the way he kicked the ground in frustration when he holed out to deep mid-wicket was acknowledgment he had missed out on a really big innings.
He said: “You never feel you’ve scored enough when you’re in on a good pitch so there was some frustration. We talk about making big hundreds; I’ve scored 147 twice so it was good to tick off 150.
“There have been some high scores this year, so if you want to keep your name in the hat you’ve got to do the same thing.”
Although the competition is fierce, Eckersley believes it is important to retain the desire to play for England at some level.
He added: “I think all county players should and as soon as you give up on playing for your country you probably lose some motivation for playing the game. You’ve got to keep scoring runs to get a chance in a Lions game, so it’s all about knocking on the door.”