ENG vs IND 2018: Jake Ball determined to make ODI series against India count to press World Cup berth

Recently, Jake Ball made his T20 debut against India.

Jake Ball | Source Reuters

Jake Ball of England who recently made his T20 debut against India wants to claim his permanent ODI team spot ahead of 2019 World Cup which is scheduled in England next year. It has been a rough season of cricket for Jake Ball as he has been dropped a few times from the team. Ball only managed to get only one game against Australia, his first match in ODI format since January and has been out of England's Test squad as well since November.

In the Test format, Sam Curran and Tom Curran have overtaken him, meanwhile, Ball is behind Liam Plunkett, Mark Wood and David Willey in the white-ball format. However, Jake Ball has been included for England's upcoming ODI series against Team India. 

"When you get your opportunity you have to take it," Ball said. "I got one game in the Australia series and felt like I came in and did well on a decent pitch at Old Trafford. I have to show what I can offer the team. That's all I can do, put my name forward and try to make myself undroppable. That's the only way to keep your place."

Jake Ball started his county season very well for Nottinghamshire as he took 27 wickets at 18.33 average in championship matches. "I got the start to the season I wanted, being the leading wicket-taker in the country," Ball said.

"Since then we've had some time away from the red-ball with the 50-over comp and being involved with England. At the end of this month we have a Championship game against Surrey so it'll be nice to pull the whites on and try to put my name forward for the first couple of Test against India."

"That's a tough one," Ball said. "As a bowling unit at Notts we talk about not letting an over get away from you. You know there will be boundaries, you know that when the infield is beaten it will be four with short boundaries and a rapid outfield.

"But if you go for a boundary or two early it's about not letting an over slipping away. Keep it down to, say, 12 from the over rather than 15 or 20. If you can manage things over the course of an innings it makes a big difference and keeps the score down. That's worked well for us in T20 cricket, and it's a batter's paradise in 50-overs cricket too."

"We are just trying to focus on every game as it comes, learn from every one we play and all those cliches really," he said.

"Not looking too far ahead. We know as a team that we are in a really good place, but that there's still a long way to the World Cup. We are looking at this India series, focussing on that and Trent Bridge on Thursday."

(Inputs from Cricbuzz)

 
 

By Kunal Kataria - 11 Jul, 2018

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