Scott aims to ‘get lost’ in London as he targets recall

SCOTT BORTHWICK has heard the talk. Now he is ready to walk the walk as he loses himself in the capital and sets about returning to the England team.

Just two months ago, between series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, selectors felt Borthwick could be a replacement for Nick Compton — but his international second coming never occurred.

Three single-figure scores followed so it was Yorkshire’s Gary ry Ballance, rather than Borthwick (below), who was named in the Lord’s Test squad to face Pakistan.

At the same time, Borthwick, with his contract running down at Durham, met Surrey over a possible switch. Torn between loyalty to his boyhood side and the chance to further his career, he agonised over his future for several weeks before choosing the path he feels will lead him to further England caps. He will move to Surrey on a three-year deal at the end of the month.

‘My mind was telling me one thing and my heart was telling me other things. I guess that’s natural when you consider leaving a club you’ve grown up playing for, one I’ve represented since I was 11,’ said Borthwick, 26. ‘The club have given me a lot of opportunities, with people who have given up a lot of time for me. It was probably saying “I want to join Surrey” out loud that made my mind up. It feels the right thing to do. To play at the Oval, to be a Northern boy lost in London, is really exciting.’

There will be familiar faces awaiting. Mark Stoneman is making the same journey and Michael Di Venuto, Surrey’s coach, is a former Durham colleague, too

Borthwick, who also spoke to Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire, added: ‘I am going purely for cricketing reasons. Playing at the Oval, a fantastic, historic cricket ground, in front of 20,000 fans for Twenty20 is probably as close as you get to international cricket, and the pitch in general is better than up here. That’s a fact. It’s better to bat and be a leg-spinner down there.’

His only Test appearance to date — against Australia at the SCG — was as a leg-spinner. He has a bowling average of 20 but only came under consideration again after reinventing himself as No3 batsman. So what happened in midsummer? ‘We were on a week off when there was all the talk of me playing. Every time I checked Twitter, or people talked to me, I was being told I was in that next Test squad. I was hearing it from everyone else other than the main selector. I had nothing from James Whitaker,’ he said.

His predicament was compounded by several low scores but he now needs just 43 more runs to become only the second Division One batsman to hit 1,000 for each of the last four seasons.

Yet his ultimate goal is still an England return.