Rashid and Wood fully deserve their international call-ups...
Sunday 12 April 2015 19:25, UK
Refreshed and raring to go.
That’s how Michael Lumb reckons Alastair Cook will be feeling as he prepares to lead England into battle for their three-Test series against the West Indies, which begins on Monday.
Cook was left out of his country’s World Cup squad after a lean stint with the bat in one-day internationals and replaced as skipper by Eoin Morgan.
And while the Essex man was far from enamoured by that decision, Nottinghamshire star Lumb says a winter away from international cricket could have been a blessing.
“Any rest in cricket is good as it allows you to clear your head and reflect,” Lumb told Sky Sports. “Alastair will come back refreshed, raring to go and determined to prove his critics wrong.
“I think the same goes for the England team; they have got a lot to prove after the World Cup but they will enjoy getting away from the off-field talk and away from the white ball.”
Jonathan Trott seems set to open with Cook in the West Indies, with the 33-year-old having returned to the international set-up for the first time since leaving England’s 2013-14 Ashes tour with a stress-related illness.
Lumb is delighted that Trott is back in the fold but says he would pair Cook with Yorkshire left-hander Adam Lyth, who plundered 1,489 runs at an average of 67.68 last term as the Tykes won the County Championship.
He is exciting, in your face and in that new mould of cricketer that we all love to see.”
“Seeing Trott back healthy is a real bonus so hopefully he can continue his career, but I would like to see Lyth get an opportunity,” said Lumb, who has played in 27 T20Is and three ODIs for England.
“He is a free spirit and someone who can take the game away from you. He is exciting, in your face and in that new mould of cricketer that we love to see.”
Lyth is one of three players uncapped at Test level in England’s squad to tour West Indies, alongside Durham seamer Mark Wood and Yorkshire’s leg-spinning all-rounder Adil Rashid.
Lumb is adamant that the call-ups are warranted and even compared Wood to a hugely successful England seamer of yesteryear.
Even if he doesn’t play, it will be a good learning curve for him to be around Anderson, one of the best bowlers in the world who plays his cricket with a real tough streak.
“England are looking for someone with a bit of pace and Wood can bowl quick on his day,” said Lumb, who faced the 25-year-old last term in County Championship Division One.
“He is similar to Darren Gough in that he is short, skids ono the bat quite hard and can reverse swing the ball.
“Even if he doesn’t play, though, it will be a good learning curve for him to be around the camp and a guy like James Anderson, one of the best bowlers in the world who plays his cricket with a real tough streak.
“Adil, meanwhile, has been in some great form of late.
“He was probably a bit young when he first got a go in one-day internationals but he always had the talent for Test cricket and I think he has matured under [coach] Jason Gillespie and [Director of Professional Cricket] Martyn Moxon at Yorkshire.
“He is an exceptional bowler who can score runs as well and he has done well to get back in after drifting a bit.”
Lumb is also confident that England can overcome their World Cup blues – they were banished in the group stages down under having failed to beat a Test-playing nation – by knocking off an under-strength Caribbean outfit.
“You can’t take West Indies lightly as they have a new coach, in Phil Simmons, who will be trying to rally his troops but they have got a lot of players missing in the IPL,” added Lumb.
“It will be a great tour for England, with the sun on their backs, beaches in view and being around people who are relaxed but also very passionate about their cricket.
“I think all the doom and gloom will end and England will win the series.”
Watch day one of England's first Test with West Indies, from 2.30pm on Monday 13 April, live on Sky Sports 2.
