SK Player of the day: Jake Ball for his dream debut

Jake Ball had made his debut earlier this year

To take a 5 wicket haul in a debut match is something that every future cricketer dreams of achieving, and Jake Ball has just achieved that goal. As England staged an incredible comeback in the 1^st ODI of the three-match series against Bangladesh, Jake Bell was at the helm of it all. 

Chasing 309 in 50 overs, there was a point in the game when Bangladesh required 38 runs off 52 balls with 6 wickets remaining and with two set batsmen at the crease. Imrul Kayes along with former captain Shakib Al Hasan took the attack to the England bowlers and were well on their way to victory, but it was not to be. Ball got Shakib with a short delivery, and thus began Bangladesh’s downfall. From there on, they lost 6 wickets for just 17 runs. 

Bangladesh did not know what had struck them. A combination of poor shot selection along with some brilliant bowling at the death by debutant Ball, England snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Ball  ended with figures of 5-51 in 9.5 overs

By achieving this rare feat, Ball broke the record of the best bowling figures by an English bowler on debut. He was well complimented by Adil Rashid, who showed the value of a legspinner against the lower order. 

Earlier in the day, England, after opting to bat first went on to amass a total of 309 in their allotted overs, with the loss of 8 wickets. Ben Stokes was the architect of the innings as he went on to score a sumptuous century at a run a ball. He was supported by Ben Duckett who scored a well-crafted knock of 60 runs off 78 balls. Jos Buttler’s rampage at the end of the innings led to England crossing the 300 run mark. Mashrafe Mortaza was the pick of the bowlers as he took 2 wickets and conceded 52 runs in his 10 overs. 

The events which transpired in the 2^nd innings of the match is something the Bangladeshi cricketers and fans would like to forget as soon as possible. 

Jake Ball made his mark on England cricket in 2015 when he was called up to be a part of an England Development Programme fast bowling camp and also given a place on the England Lions tour of Pakistan. 

Ball has taken 115 wickets in 35 first class matches at an average of 26 for Nottinghamshire. His breakthrough season had brought 39 Championship wickets and saw him pick up useful runs with the bat as well. 

His success at the first class level garnered an England Test call-up for the first Test match against Pakistan earlier this year. He did not have an excellent debut as he managed to pick up only one wicket, but he sure did make up for it today, on his ODI debut.