Joy of text for Kirby

Steve Kirby is relishing a return to England colours on the Lions tour of India © Getty Images

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The last thing Steve Kirby expected when he visited Bristol Zoo with his two young children was a message from the chairman of selectors enquiring about his availability for the England Lions tour to India.

“I was carrying my son Joel and watching the flamingos when I saw a message come through on the mobile from David Parsons, the ECB performance director," Kirby told ecb.co.uk.

"Then there was one from David Graveney. I almost dropped Joel - I couldn’t believe it,” said the 30 year-old Gloucestershire fast bowler, who was handed his opportunity when Kabir Ali withdrew from the tour through injury.

Kirby, who took 41 first-class wickets at an average of 23 in 2007, was called up alongside Nottinghamshire’s Charlie Shreck for the four-week tour.

The Lions land in Mumbai on Thursday and will compete in India’s premier domestic competition, the Duleep Trophy.

“I am over the moon. I have never given up hope of playing for England. It’s what gets me to the gym every day and I was hoping that someone had noticed what I achieved with Gloucestershire last season,” Kirby said.

Kirby is hoping to utilise his knowledge of Indian conditions

It is not the first time Kirby has been called up as a late replacement on an India tour. Five years ago in February 2003, he was visiting Dennis Lillee’s MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai when the England A team arrived to compete in the Duleep Trophy.

Simon Jones, who was recovering from a serious knee injury, was deemed fit enough to join the England squad in the West Indies, leaving a gaping hole in the A team’s bowling attack, and Kirby - who had impressed Lillee in the nets - was recruited for the final game against East Zone in the Punjab city of Amritsar.

It was too late for him to lift England A out of a woeful run of form that had seen them lose every game bar one, though Kirby’s efforts to raise team morale knew no bounds.

His colourful rendition of pub songs during one long bus trip raised the biggest smiles of the tour and marked him out as a valued team player.

“I learned then that playing cricket in India is tough but my experience from four years ago should stand me in good stead,” Kirby added.

“It is really important that we hit the ground running and get that first win under our belt as quickly as possible.”

Kirby is joined in the squad by Liam Plunkett, among others

Kirby has spent the winter working at Gloucestershire on his fitness and, although he had not bowled a ball since September before attending Loughborough for pre-tour training, he is looking forward to making an impression, not just with the ball but also with his more shrewd approach to the game.

He said: “I knew I was low down in the pecking order so this came out of the blue and it is a fantastic opportunity for me.

“In the past I have been known to have a fiery temperament but I feel I have mellowed with age and have learned that success comes down to being smart and aggressive in a controlled way and to adapting to the conditions. If I can do that, I shall be okay.

Kirby will team up with Alan Richardson, Liam Plunkett, Graham Onions and Shreck as the Lions bid to bring back the Duleep Trophy.

“It will be a really fantastic challenge and we can look forward to some of the toughest cricket any of us have ever played,” Kirby said.

“How I react to that will determine how I am measured because we will be judged on our attitude as much as on how many wickets we take.

“I will need a hell of a lot of luck while I am out there but if I do all the right things, it could just turn out to be my time. I have an opportunity now to impress. There’s a new England coach. Who knows?”