David Willey wants to nail down starting England place this winter ahead of home World Cup in 2019
The 27-year-old’s variation as a left-armer makes him a useful addition to the team but he has suffered a difficult season
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Your support makes all the difference.In terms of the bigger picture, English minds are fixed firmly on this winter’s Ashes series, especially in light of the injury that appears to have ruled Toby Roland-Jones out of the tour of Australia.
However, for David Willey, a white-ball specialist with no pretensions of playing Test cricket, this current one-day series against West Indies is as big as it gets right now.
Willey, the left-arm seamer, is fighting for his future in this form of the game after a so-far disappointing summer that saw him dropped from England’s team for the Champions Trophy.
With a home World Cup in 2019 on the horizon, Willey is looking to become a permanent fixture in an XI that is bristling with options in the bowling department.
The 27-year-old’s variation as a left-armer makes him a useful addition to the team – but only if he is able to swing the white ball early in the innings.
Willey paid lip service to the Ashes and Roland-Jones’ stress fracture of the lower back that has scotched his winter dream of playing in Australia after his fine start to Test cricket this summer.
“Obviously I’m very disappointed for him,” he said. “He had a great start since coming in [to Test cricket] and with the Ashes on the horizon he will be gutted.”
However, it is his own battle right now to prove he can have prolonged success in international white-ball cricket that is at the forefront of Willey’s mind.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s third ODI in Bristol, he said: “We’ve got a great squad of bowlers and I want to make that my position my own. Hopefully I can bowl well tomorrow, get a couple of wickets early on, which is what they want from me.
“I think it puts a bit more pressure on you. It’s not the same XI on the team-sheet every series. It’s a great squad of players and even the guys that aren’t selected or are on the fringes are very talented so there is that added pressure that anyone can play and you better perform otherwise you’ll be out of the team.”
England, 1-0 up with three to play in this series after Thursday’s second ODI in Nottingham was abandoned after 2.2 overs following heavy rain, are not short of bowling options in limited-overs cricket.
And if Mark Wood had been fully fit for this series it is unlikely Willey would have got into the team.
Wood bowled in nets today when he linked up briefly with England in Bristol as he continues his comeback from a heel injury by playing first-class cricket for Durham ahead of the Ashes.
Willey, though, knows early wickets are the currency that will keep him in the team and he also knows getting the ball to talk at the top of the innings is key to that.
“Throughout my career that’s what I’ve been asked to do,” he said. “Fortunately I can swing the white ball when I get it right and I look to try and take wickets with that sideways movement early on. “Sometimes it doesn’t work and I think earlier on in the year I struggled to get the ball swinging and as a result of that I lost my place in the side for the Champions Trophy. That’s the way it goes. “But I’ve got an opportunity here now to try and get back out there, get some wickets and nail down my place.”
Willey failed to break through early during the first match of this series at Old Trafford last Tuesday, although he did pick up the wicket of tailender Devendra Bishoo late on.
What then can you do if the ball stubbornly refuses to find any early lateral movement?
“If you don’t get a couple of early poles on these flat wickets in one-day cricket it can be difficult and batters can go exceptionally hard,” admits Willey. “We’re lucky we’ve got a lot of guys who can bowl during that powerplay and for myself I try and use my variations to try and put pressure on the batter so they make a mistake.
“It’s difficult. You almost second-guess what they’re trying to do but you don’t want to go away from your plans too much.”
England are expected to name an unchanged team in Bristol, while West Indies wait on the fitness of Chris Gayle after he sustained a hamstring niggle during the pre-match warm-up at Trent Bridge last Thursday.
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