Hankins emerges with great credit
THE SRI LANKANS have put the England U19s in a spin this summer, but Gloucestershire batsman George Hankins has emerged with his head held high after impressing in the oneday series.
It’s been a fine summer for Hankins, who made his County Championship debut for Gloucestershire in April before linking up with the U19s for the Sri Lankan tour.
And after an inconspicuous start – his top score was 28 across the two Tests – the 19year-old came up with promising, but ultimately inconsequential, knocks during the three ODIs.
After hitting 98 at Chelmsford, Hankins helped England reply to Sri Lanka’s 300 in the third and final ODI – but departed for 79 with the score hinged at 178-5 in the 37th over.
Despite Surrey wicketkeeper Ollie Pope’s brisk 87, England fell 25 runs short of victory as they failed get to grips with the tidy spin of Damitha Silva (2-47), Charith Asalanka (0-45) and Wanidu Hasaranga (3-39).
It sealed a Sri Lankan whitewash – but Hankins admits the toughest lessons are always the most worthwhile.
“We lost the series 3-0 but on a personal level I was quite happy with the way I batted,” he said.
“It was nice to get a few runs in the ODI series but a lot of lessons were learned.
“The Test series didn’t go to plan for me, but I just came in open-minded and I knew that if I back my ability I could score some runs and it paid off.
“With a lot of spin to face, learning how to play different bowlers in different conditions, it’s been a challenge and I’ve enjoyed it.”
Having failed to build on some decent starts during the Test series, Avishka Fernando was Sri Lanka’s star by compiling back-to-back centuries – with his 138 at Canterbury paced at a touch more than a run a ball.
But swing bowler Lahiru Kamara, who took 11 wickets in the Sri Lankan Test victory at Northampton, left the biggest impression on Hankins.
“Kumara is a very good bowler, he led them from the front really,” he added.
“He swung it, nipped it, and was quite a hard bowler to face.
“I’m definitely looking forward to getting back down to Gloucester, seeing the boys and hopefully get a few more wins at the end of the season.”