I’VE GOT THE BIG HITTING FOR BAZBALL, INSISTS LEES
Alex lees says losing his england place left a bad taste in his mouth, but insists he has the expansive game to force his way back into Test contention.
lees became the first real victim of england’s ultra-aggressive approach when he was deemed a little too slow to launch a Test innings after their spectacular summer and left out of the tour of Pakistan.
But he has been thrown a lifeline with selection for the two lions Tests against sri lanka that begin at the end of this month and aims to show he does have the shots to fit in with Bazball.
‘If anybody gets news they’re not happy about there’s a natural distaste in your mouth,’ lees told Sportsmail after missing the 3-0 victory in Pakistan. ‘ That’s human nature. I wasn’t amazing to be around for a couple of weeks after getting the news but those sorts of things always ground you and give you a good perspective on life. It’s happened so you’ve just got to accept it, get your head down and move forward.’
The question is whether the Durham opener really does have the shots to convince Ben stokes and Brendon McCullum that, nearing his 30th birthday, he is still worth investing in, with Ben Duckett making a really good impression in his place in Pakistan.
lees began his Test career in the most conservative way in the Caribbean last year, making just 126 runs in three Tests off
450 balls, but tried to return to the attacking stroke-making of his youth during england’s transformative summer.
He finished the season with a top score of 67 and praise for his role in opening partnerships with Zak
Crawley that gave england something of a launchpad, but still averages only 23.84 from his 10 Tests with, crucially, a strike-rate of just 43.06.
‘The days of scoring a hundred with a strike-rate of 40 are gone, particularly under this regime,’ lees conceded. ‘ so you’ve got to buy into the new way and there will be a clear ripple effect through county cricket.
‘I don’t think of myself as a limited player. When I made my debut in West Indies there was a big emphasis on first-innings runs no matter how slow or long it took to get them. I was just trying to be in line with the team ethos at the time.
‘At the start of my career I did play more in the style of the current regime, particularly when I began at Yorkshire, because the wickets had a bit more carry in them compared to what they have had in england over the last few years. so I didn’t feel too bad at all last summer, I just had to tap into a different part of my career.
‘I played competently but just lacked that big score which is obviously the difference as a top-order player. My biggest reflection is one of disappointment because I got myself in good positions but didn’t capitalise on them.’
sri lanka, then, represents something of a last chance. ‘It’s still my ambition to play Test cricket — once you do something and like it you want more of it,’ added lees. ‘If I have any aspiration of getting back I must carry on playing how england want me to. You have to do as much as you possibly can to get better at it.’