"Things like 'nightmare debut', 'hero to zero'" - George Scrimshaw recalls headlines after his maiden ODI appearance
Rookie England seamer George Scrimshaw has opened up about his forgettable ODI debut against Ireland in September 2023. The right-arm pacer bowled six no-balls in his first two overs in international cricket and has stated that he tried not to look at social media, given the incessant mocking.
Although the 26-year-old ended with decent figures of 8.4-0-66-3, including the scalps of Andy Balbirnie, Lorcan Tucker, and Josh Little, Scrimshaw bowled four no-balls in his first over and two more in his second.
Scrimshaw's figures read 1.5-0-35-0 after 11 legal deliveries.
Speaking to BBC Sport, the youngster explained he was unable to understand what was going on as he had hardly overstepped in the domestic matches. He said:
"I’d bowled one front foot no-ball in the first T20 game of the 2023 season but not a single one after that. So, I’m just thinking 'what is going on here?' I felt the same as in every game. My body was hurting a little bit but that's no excuse - my body is always hurting! I tried not to look at socials. All the reports were coming through – things like 'nightmare debut', 'hero to zero'. After that game, I had a bit of performance anxiety."
Scrimshaw also recalled how sleep was hard to come by that night:
"I just didn't know what was going on: is my run-up wrong? Am I running in faster? Am I running in slower? Just horrible. I couldn’t get to sleep. Some people can let things go a lot easier than others – that day really swallowed me up."
The 26-year-old was the second-highest wicket-taker for England in the innings, with Rehan Ahmed bagging four. England had set Ireland a target of 335 runs to win, and the latter reached 286 before being bowled out.
"My main goal is to get back there" - George Scrimshaw
Scrimshaw said he doesn't expect another call-up for England anytime soon, but vowed to work hard and regain his spot. He added:
"I’ve not been in touch with England a lot to be honest. I’ve had one message to say, 'we’ll be watching you'. For now, it’s about not expecting too much. It’s about working hard, nailing down my place, doing well in T20 and seeing what comes of it. But obviously my main goal is to get back there."
The right-arm pacer's most recent outing was during the Vitality Blast in June for Northamptonshire against Yorkshire.