Tom Westley rues 'bitterly disappointing' debut after another tough day for England's batsmen

Westley started well, only to succumb to a 'soft dismissal' after a rain break

Tom Westley failed to build on some early promise, losing his wicket for 25 (Getty)

Tom Westley admitted that it was “bitterly disappointing” to start his Test debut well for England before getting out for a “soft dismissal” for 25.

The Essex batsman was out straight after lunch as England crawled to 171 for four on a rain-affected stop-start day at the Oval.

Westley came in early and put on 52 with Alastair Cook before being dismissed by Chris Morris. He had mixed feelings about his own performance but praised that of Cook, who finished the day unbeaten on 82.

“I very much have mixed feelings today,” Westley said. “It was quite an emotional day getting my cap, and then starting relatively well, and I felt good at the crease. Then getting out after lunch was bitterly disappointing, especially after working so hard with Cooky. I felt like I was coping well in that hour before lunch, then a soft dismissal after which was frustrating.”

Cook’s 82 kept England alive and gives them a platform to build on today, and his Essex team-mate Westley was full of praise for the former England captain.

“It shows that if you persist, and you work hard, as it did do a bit today, but Cooky being Cooky fought through that,” Westley said. “That’s one of his best qualities, he works hard for his runs, he’s determined, and thankfully that showed today, he scored a brilliant 80.”

​Westley hopes that England now have a platform to set a competitive total if they bat well on Friday. “The way Cooky played today shows you can score runs on the wicket,” he said. “It’s encouraging if we can get runs on the board, with our bowlers on that surface we can be in a good position.”

Kagiso Rabada was delighted to be back on the pitch today after being banned for the second Test for swearing at Ben Stokes at Lord’s. Rabada admitted that his one-match ban was “heart-breaking” but that he was working on his discipline and behaviour to avoid a repeat in future.

“It is never nice being banned, obviously it is going to be a disappointment but if you don’t show disappointment, it shows you really don’t care,” Rabada said this evening. “It was a bit heart-breaking, but you just have to move on.”

Rabada said that he would try to behave better on the pitch while not losing the passion from his game. “It’s really simple: just don’t swear,” he said. “Be yourself. I don’t have any bad intentions. Myself and Ben Stokes talk off the field, it is just in the game. It gets really competitive. I don’t think I will stop the way I play, I will just follow the rules.”