England debutant Emilio Gay has enjoyed a pinch-himself moment and endured a kick-himself moment over the course of his first two days as a Test cricketer.
The Durham batter, who has replaced the dropped Zak Crawley as Ben Duckett’s opening partner, said being an international player really hit home after Ollie Robinson’s triple-wicket maiden on the opening evening against New Zealand at Lord’s.
Gay took the catch at short leg to remove the great Kane Williamson off Robinson’s bowling and when the seamer then inflicted a golden duck on Rachin Ravindra next up, amid fervent noise from home supporters, the England novice was awestruck.
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Ollie Robinson took three wickets in an over on the opening evening at Lord’s
The 26-year-old, who has made scores of eight and 57 in this fast-moving Test, told reporters: “Robbo was on a hat-trick. I was at short leg and the crowd was loud. That was then I thought, ‘this is cool’.
“I think Sonny Baker [not selected in the England XI] came on to stand at mid-on or midwicket. I was looking at him and he was looking at me. We spoke afterwards and it was like: ‘Can you believe this? This is mental. This is what we are doing’.
“When I was batting, it was about seeing the ball, trying to get stuck in but when I was fielding, especially when wickets were falling [is when it sunk in].
“I think fielders think I’m daydreaming but I’m not. I’m just trying to lap it all up. It’s not really going to get as good as this, these last two days, so hopefully it keeps that way.”
Gay earned his England call-up after consistent scores for Durham in county cricket
‘I had done all the hard work’
The one frustration for Gay was the timing of his second-innings dismissal.
Having played confidently in a knock that featured eight boundaries, he snicked Nathan Smith in being caught behind as the clouds rolled in.
The newbie’s exit triggered a collapse of four wickets for one run as New Zealand sent Harry Brook, Joe Root and Ben Stokes packing in quick order.
That may not matter come the final analysis, with the Kiwis already 36-3 in a chase of 254 on a spicy surface, but it still rankled with Gay, who said: “I was disappointed when I got out – the overheads, the lights were on and Brooky and Rooty followed soon after.
“There was a natural disappointment that I had done all the hard work, faced nearly 100 balls, so the timing of it was a bit frustrating. I got a pretty good ball but it felt like a real shift in momentum.”
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Gay struck two fours in his maiden Test knock on Thursday before being nicked off by Kyle Jamieson
‘McCullum and Stokes have given me confidence’
That moment will not detract from a “dream” few days for Gay, making his England bow at such a prestigious venue and with his family there to witness it.
His ascent to the international stages brings with it a step up in scrutiny but the former Northamptonshire player says head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Stokes have urged him to stick with what he knows.
“Baz and Stokesy have been really supportive of what has got me here has put me in good stead for Test cricket.
“That has given me a lot of confidence,” added Gay, who revealed the intensity of England training has been another step up.
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Highlights from day two of the Lord’s Test which ended with New Zealand 36-3 in their second innings having been set 254 to win
“At this level, with more cameras, more people watching, that is the biggest separator – having confidence in your technique.
“Everyone has different plans for how they bat. Baz said as long as you have conviction when you cross the white line, however you want to play, just back it. That is great for me on debut. I have the full backing of the changing room.”
Watch day three of the first Test between England and New Zealand live on Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event from 10.15am on Saturday. Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with NOW.
