"I’ve said before that if I get the chance to play for England again, I’d bat No. 11" - Dan Lawrence responds to Michael Vaughan's comments
England batter Dan Lawrence has responded to former captain Michael Vaughan's recent comments that the management opting to open with him in the upcoming Sri Lanka series was the wrong move. Lawrence said he was willing to bat anywhere for an opportunity to play for the side.
With regular opener Zak Crawley out due to an injury, England named Lawrence as his replacement at the top of the order for the first Test against the Lankans, starting August 21.
When asked by the reporters about Vaughan's remarks, Lawrence said (via Daily Mail):
"I got asked to open the batting, and I’m definitely going to say yes. So obviously people are going to have their opinions, but I’m chuffed to get the opportunity. I’ve said before that if I get the chance to play for England again, I’d bat No 11. So I was just waiting for an opportunity and wherever that was, I was going to snap their hands off for it."
He added:
"I think my style will suit opening the batting. It might be quite a nice thing, having not played for England for a while, to actually just strap the pads on and go straight in, instead of thinking and waiting."
Dan Lawrence has played 11 Tests for England but never opened the batting, having been a middle-order batter even in county cricket.
Despite debuting in the red-ball format for England in 2021, he hasn't featured in the playing-11 since the West Indies tour in early 2022.
"I think I fit the mold" - Dan Lawrence on Bazball
Dan Lawrence feels his aggressive batting style that led to his inconsistencies during his first stint with England two years ago would fit perfectly with Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes' 'Bazball' mold.
The 27-year-old has scored only 551 runs at an average of 29 with four half-centuries in his 11 Tests.
"I’ve been on the sidelines for a couple of years now, which has been frustrating at times. But my way of going about it is to be quite aggressive, and it’s the style of cricketer that Baz and Stokes are generally after, so I think I fit the mold. I showed glimpses of what I can do. I was fairly inconsistent, but that all came with being quite young. I wasn’t completely sure of my game at that time. I’m treating this as a bit of a fresh start," Lawrence said (via Daily Mail).
Dan Lawrence batted in every position from No. 3 to 7 during his first stint in Tests for England. The Essex cricketer is also useful with his off-spinners, evidenced by his 35 first-class and three Test wickets.