Wright stuff for England

Luke Wright

How does a talented young cricketer, who is highly regarded as a one-day player but rarely mentioned in dispatches as a Test prospect, break out of his pigeon-hole?

The answer is simple. Score a century – a superb century – for the England Lions against an international touring XI at a Test venue in front of the England coach and a selector just a few days before they make their decisions for the summer.

Luke Wright could not have found a better time or a better stage than the Rose Bowl to showcase his talents in the longer form of the game, having almost cemented his place in the England one-day side after a series of impressive performances since making his debut against India in September 2007.

Coming into bat for England Lions with the score 89 for five, Wright blasted 120 from 131 balls, including 16 fours and two towering sixes, including one over mid-wicket that brought up the third first-class century of his career.

This was an opportunity he was desperately keen to grab, he said and a performance that left him full of optimism.

“We were in a bit of trouble when I first went in so I like to think it was a good hundred," he told ecb.co.uk. "Whether Peter Moores sees it like that I don’t know but I was very happy with it.

“I just came into this game and saw it as another chance to push myself as a four-day player. I don’t know about being selected for the first Test but it is nice to score runs in front of Peter Moores and Geoff Miller and be in their minds.”

Wright has often found himself pigeon-holed as a one-day cricketer

The 23 year-old Sussex all-rounder says he always felt he had more to offer than his one day performances.

“When I first started playing cricket for Sussex, they had a strong batting line-up so I got in as a bowler and batted number nine,” he said.

“I never got a chance to push myself as a four-day player and when I was given the chance, it was in one day cricket which luckily went well. But since then I haven’t been known as someone who scores big runs in championship cricket.

“I have always thought I could play all forms of the game and never believed that I would just be playing one-day cricket for England for the rest of my career.

“If other people have pigeon-holed me, there is not much I can do about that. Before this season, I haven’t proved I could play four-day cricket so people have had every right to question it and it was down to me to change those opinions.

“So far, my one-day cricket has gone pretty well so there is no reason why I shouldn’t be able to push that on to Test cricket, given the chance.

Playing alongside his county team-mate Matt Prior, who played ten Tests for England before losing his place to another Sussex product Tim Ambrose, has helped Wright prepare for the rollercoaster ride that can go with trying to cement a place in the England line-up.

“Matt has been really good. He reckons he listened too much to what was being said about him and looking back, if he could have changed anything he would not have put pressure on himself by looking at all those articles.

“He can’t do much about that but it is a lesson. Get your head down, work hard and try and do as well as you can. That is what I am trying to do.

“I have had a good training at Sussex. They want you to be adults and drill into you early on that things are not acceptable just because you are young. That is why they have developed some good young players.”