Published: Sep 16, 2016, 08:58 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 16, 2016, 09:10 PM (IST)
Gareth Batty, the 38-year-old offspinner who received a surprise call to the 17-member England Test squad for Bangladesh had played his last Test for England back in 2005 against Bangladesh at Chester-le-Street. There has been lot of new faces included for Bangladesh squad out of which Batty’s inclusion has come as a complete surprise. He played seven Tests between 2003 to 2005 and 10 ODIs between 2002 and 2009. As he broke headline for his comeback after a long time, one should also know that he is right-arm off-break bowler, who averages worst in both, his so far Test and ODI career, but in the latest First-Class county season he did pretty decent with the ball by scalping 41 wickets from 16 matches at 31.21.
Batty who writes a column for Evening Standard, wrote in his recent that he was expecting a call-up for the England squad as the national selector James Whitaker watched him bowl during Surrey’s Championship game against Durham this week. He also stated that he has added more variations to his bowling style and he is confident that these new techniques will help him get wickets against Bangladesh in the upcoming tour. According to cricbuzz.com, Batty reportedly wrote in his column as, “Sure enough, I got the call on Wednesday evening to tell me I was in the Test squad for the forthcoming tour of Bangladesh. I am a very patriotic man so when my country calls, I respond without hesitation.”
“I know people may question my age. I will be 39 next month, but I honestly believe I am bowling better than I ever have. I have always looked to improve throughout my career and my understanding of what I can do gets better every year. Until my body can no longer do what I ask of it, I am confident I will continue to become a better bowler,” he wrote. Full Cricket Scorecard: Bangladesh vs England, 1st ODI at Mirpur
Batty is a known clever bowler as he has various variations in his finger bowling style which he puts into use with clever changes of pace and deception. “I always watch other spinners around the world to try to add some of what they do to my game. For example, I have studied Saeed Ajmal, the Pakistani off-spinner, over the years. By watching closely his approach to the crease, I have been able to bowl better at left-handed batsmen,” he observed. READ: ‘Comeback Man’ Batty to set new world record in Tests
England and Wales Cricket Broad (ECB) decided to go ahead with the Bangladesh tour only after a three-member panel headed by Reg Dickason who assessed the conditions in the Asian country and were satisfied with the security arrangements while England were playing Pakistan in England. READ: ‘Comeback Man’ Gareth Batty to set new world record in Tests
“I realise that security has been an issue in the build-up to this tour but there has never been any doubt in my mind. I am not judging anyone but if the tour has been declared safe, that is good enough for me. Playing for your country is the pinnacle, whether you’re 38 or 18. It is an exciting challenge, whether you are my age, or on your first tour like Zafar Ansari. There is huge skill within the spin bowling group and our challenge is to adapt to conditions and help England win,” he concluded.
