Ball has '˜bright future' in Test cricket - Newell
That’s the view of Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket and national selector Mick Newell after the former Welbeck player missed out on a place in the 16-man squad to play the Black Caps. Ball played in the first Ashes Test of England’s 4-0 series defeat in Australia after recovering from ankle ligament damage that hampered his preparations early in the tour.
But he subsequently lost his place in the team by Craig Overton and then Tom Curran as Joe Root’s side fought in vain to play their way back into contention.
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Hide AdBall will be replaced for the second leg of England’s trip Down Under by Durham paceman Mark Wood, but Newell is convinced the Notts seamer – who is part of England’s one-day squad for a five-match series with Australia starting on Sunday – will bounce back strongly from the disappointment.
“All is not lost for Jake and hopefully he won’t be too down because he’s got a lot more white ball cricket to come in the next six to eight weeks,” said Newell.
“England have returning players in Mark Wood for one who is competing for a spot with Jake and he’s got the nod on this occasion, but hopefully there are things Jake can learn from the past couple of months and he will continue to fight for his place in the Test match squad.
“Jake has a bright future for England in all three formats, including Tests. He’s played for England in all three formats now, which is a great achievement for a player of his age. We are going to continue to seek out a fast bowler and Jake is a good quality fast-medium bowler. I’m sure he will come into the new English season with a point to prove and that will benefit Notts and him.”