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Keeper’s position for ODIs ‘open’ says Davies
Coach Flower says series very important to England
By Sean Devers
After making his International debut for England in last Sunday 20/20 fixture in Trinidad with a cameo 27 at the top of the order, 22-year-old wicketkeeper Steve Davies feels he stands a great chance of also playing in the 50-overs series which starts here on Friday.
Steven Davies
The rookie Keeper from Worcestershire told reporters yesterday at the Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown, that while Matt Prior is the first string Keeper on tour, the One-Day series gives him a better opportunity of playing for England.
His limited overs form in county cricket has been good last season and his positive style as a pugnacious left-handed opener when the field is up gives England more options in the shorter form of the game and his 20/20 performance could influence his selection on Friday at Providence.
“The wicket keeping position is open in the one-day game and any of the keepers can play. I have been opening at the county level and enjoying it very much. I was not really enjoying batting low in the order and I don’t think opening affects my wicketkeeping in any way,” Davies, who toured the Caribbean as an England ‘A’ team player four years ago, said.
He also said it was his childhood dream to represent England in International cricket and although he was very excited on his debut last Sunday, he felt very comfortable. “I like using the pace of the new ball bowlers and going over the infield so opening the batting suites me fine,” he explained.
His glove work is also of a high standard and when asked he considered himself a wicket keeper/ batsman or the other way around, he said that he is equal in both departments and his boyish grin suggested that the youngster is pleased to just be in the England squad, enjoying his short stint as an International player in the West Indies.
The last time England played the West Indies in an ODI series they were beaten two years ago in England, while the 2004 ODI was drawn when the two sides last clashed in 50 overs cricket in the West Indies.
Reportedly here to warm-up for the Ashes series, England were confronted by a disciplined and determined West Indies side led by the high-class batting of Man-of-the-Series Ramnaresh Sarwan and inspirational leadership from Chris Gayle and lost 1-nil. Sarwan was again the hero in the one-off 20/20 clash in Trinidad which the hosts won.
On the back of a 5-0 whipping in their pre-Christmas series in India and with the devastating Gayle cleared fit to play this weekend, England know they have a fight on their hands.
“We had a long meeting last night (Monday) and a lot of things were discussed. A big improvement is expected from everyone,” informed Davies without disclosing the actual content of what was discussed.
With the West Indies expected to get overwhelming support from the sold out back-to-back games in Guyana, the pressure is also on Coach Andy Flower who is hoping to claim the vacant coaching position on a permanent basis.
England has not won any of their 14 ODIs since September when they beat South Africa but Flower is optimistic that England can arrest that decline in the upcoming ODI series.
“In one-day cricket I think we’ve got a clearer idea. We had some success against South Africa at the end of last season. We also went to India and even though we were soundly beaten our batsmen were quite consistent and I think we have a better idea of how we are to go about playing one-day cricket than Twenty20 cricket.” Flower said on his arrival in Guyana after the six-wicket 20/20 defeat on Sunday.
“We are desperate for a win, definitely. The good thing about sport is you put yourself on the line all the time and that’s the exciting thing about it. In the one-day game there is no grey area…you’re either going to win or lose, take the plaudits or take the hits.
“As an international cricketer, you’re always under a certain amount of pressure. As a team, you’re under pressure to win the game and, as an individual, you’re under pressure to succeed and selection matters put you under pressure. You cannot hide from that and players have to find their own way of dealing with the pressures of international cricket. If you can, you’ll have a successful career but if you can’t, you won’t.” Flower said.
With Flower looking to become the permanent successor to Peter Moores, success in Guyana will be a great foundation for him for the remaining three matches in Barbados and St Lucia and this series is not only important to England but to the 41-year-old former Zimbabwe left-handed batsman who scored 12 Tests tons and four at the ODI level before making coaching a career.
“This one-day series is very important and not just for me and the job situation. To be honest the job is the last thing on my mind. It’s important for us to have a good one-day series because we are representing England. It’s been a long, hard winter, but we look at these five games now as a separate tournament and we want to win this section of the tour.” the coach stressed.
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