Groin strain threatens Cook’s bid for victory

ENGLAND suffered an injury scare before today’s second one-day international against Sri Lanka when captain Alastair Cook complained of tightness in his groin during a net session at a cold and wet Durham.

Alex Hales, unlucky not to be in the original squad after his success in Twenty20 cricket, headed north to cover for Cook, who has a 50 per cent chance of playing as England try to build on their 1-0 lead.

The England captain was not at his best in the victory at the Kia Oval on Thursday and will be desperate to play as his side seek a win that would put them on the brink of a series triumph.

One man who will definitely play is Harry Gurney, who was contemplating putting his economics degree to use after being released by Leicestershire six years ago. Now he finds himself at the head of a queue of left-arm bowlers competing to fill the missing link in England’s attack.

Gurney could never have dreamed that he would be playing in today’s game when his native county turned their back on him just after he had left Leeds University. ‘There were dark times in my early years on the county scene when I wondered whether I would end up making it, so to be here now is amazing,’ said Gurney. Only when Leicestershire had second thoughts and invited Gurney back for a trial at the start of 2009 did his fortunes take a turn for the better.

‘I went back in and performed well and they ended up signing me again.’ Even then Gurney, 27, did not exactly set the county scene ablaze and he was far from a regular in the Leicestershire side before Mick Newell asked him to make the same short journey from Grace Road to Trent Bridge that made Stuart Broad.

‘In five or six years I only played around 16 first-class games and they were generally when there was an injury to someone else,’ said Gurney. ‘So I never really got the chance to get going in that format. There were times when my position was touch and go.’

Gurney has excelled with Notts to such an extent that he was invited to bowl at England’s Ashes batsmen for a month last winter and has been picked by Peter Moores, a big fan of left-arm seamers after promoting Ryan Sidebottom to the England side in his first spell as coach, in his first three games back at the helm.

It was three years ago that David Saker, the England bowling coach, said his attack would be complete if he could find a good left-armer and now Gurney has his chance ahead of a promising crop that includes Tymal Mills, Reece Topley and David Willey.

‘I did wonder at one stage of my career whether I’d end up in a suit down in London, but I’d certainly rather be running around on a cricket field,’ said Gurney.

‘Playing for England was beyond my dreams growing up, but it’s been amazing so far and I want to carry on doing it for as long as I can.’