Samit Patel still harbours hopes of England return ahead of Royal London One-Day final
One of English cricket's great mavericks has not given up hope on returning to the international stage just yet
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Your support makes all the difference.It used to be the case that a performance in a Lords showpiece final would guarantee you a place in the thoughts of the England selectors in the blink of an eye.
Nottinghamshire’s Samit Patel, though, hopes that the runs he has scored so far this season have already offered a weighty reminder of his capabilities, regardless of what happens at the Home of Cricket on Saturday in the Royal London One-Day Cup final.
The 32-year-old last played a Test for his country back in November 2015, when he was powerless to stop England being steamrollered by Pakistan in the oppressive heat of Sharjah. He hasn’t earned a one-day cap for over four years.
For a man whose talent has never been in question, he remains one of English cricket’s great mavericks – a player capable of the extraordinary but one whose fitness levels have rarely convinced in an era when cricketers are athletes as much as batsman and bowlers.
Like Gary Ballance, though, Patel has used the current county season as a platform to show that his ability on the pitch remains undimmed.
Back-to-back double centuries against Leicestershire and Gloucestershire in the Championship, with a one-day hundred in the Royal London Cup semi-final against Essex sandwiched in-between, have provided ample evidence of that.
Patel has scored 731 runs at an average of 81 as Notts have surged to the top of Division Two of the County Championship following their relegation last season. He has also taken nine wickets with his left-arm spin and now finds himself within touching distance of his 300th first class dismissal.
Little wonder that Patel tells The Independent that he still has designs on adding to his six Test caps.
“I’ve still got international ambitions, absolutely,” he says. “I couldn’t really have done any more could I? I would love to put on the England shirt again. Hopefully the chance will come.”
Since making his England debut against Sri Lanka in Galle in March 2012, there has always been a sense of distrust over a fitness record that has been patchy at best. Dropped by England’s one-day and T20 squad in 2009 over concerns about his weight, Patel missed out on the 2011 World Cup after the penny had still failed to drop.
Kevin Pietersen, England captain back in 2009, went so far as labelling Patel ‘….unfit and fat and lazy’, before accusing the Nottinghamshire all-rounder of being in a ‘comfort zone’.
A boxing camp Down Under shortly after being ditched from England’s World Cup squad illustrated Patel’s hunger to shed a tag that has followed him throughout his career and those two double centuries have shown that his appetite for runs remains insatiable.
“It has been frustrating in the past, firstly not to get a good run of games but also in the way I’ve been batting, really,” he says. “I haven’t had the chance to bat higher up the order, which I know I can do. If there is a frustration there then that would be it – not getting that opportunity. I think I’m still capable of doing a good job in all formats for England.
“I would class myself as an all-rounder obviously, but my batting is definitely my strong suit. I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing for Notts and see what happens.
I couldn’t really have done any more could I? I would love to put on the England shirt again.
“I don’t really feel any different and I’m really doing anything different either. The confidence is there but I don’t think you ever go to the wicket thinking: ‘Yeah, I’m going to get a hundred today’. If you get through the first 30 balls then batting gets easier. That’s what I’ve been doing and it’s paying off.”
Saturday’s showdown could easily be billed as Patel vs Kumar Sangakkara, with both men scoring runs for fun in their respective divisions. But Patel is quick to dismiss any suggestion that one player holds the key to the contest, on either side.
“I don’t think you can just name one person with Surrey, they’ve got some high quality players,” he says. “You’ve got (Mark) Stoneman, (Scott) Borthwick, the Curran’s (Sam and Tom), (Jade) Dernbach, you can go on. They’ve been to quite a few Lords finals in the last few years and we’re going to have to be at our best.
“From my point of view, there’s no better feeling than walking out for a one-day final at Lords. I think that’s why we all play white ball cricket. I think it’s still special.”
A show-stopping performance at Lords would provide England with further food for thought.
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