Sam Hain insisted he is finding fulfilment from enjoying his cricket with Warwickshire again, rather than being consumed about whether he will be given a chance with England.
Hain boasts the best List A average of all-time by an English batter, while his red-ball numbers have shot up since the start of last year with 1,573 runs at 65.5 in the LV= Insurance County Championship.
A call-up for next month’s Test against Ireland might have been a stretch but Warwickshire recognise his continued omission, tweeting: “It appears the #HainTrain heading to England Selection is delayed.”
England’s middle-order is vaunted across all formats and Hain, who has represented the second-string Lions for many years, adopts a pragmatic outlook and says his only priority is on what he can control.
“Of course I’d love to play for England but it’s not my sole focus,” he told the PA news agency. “My sole focus is to enjoy my cricket and win games for Warwickshire. If I can do that, I’m happy.
“There’s plenty of cricketers on the county circuit who have been on the fringes. I’m very much aware of how strong the England men’s Test side is, the men’s white-ball side have just won a T20 World Cup.
“I’ve really made peace – I’ve tried to go the other way of really wanting to play for England and just found I got lost in the process rather than just try to enjoy it and then whatever will be, will be.
“My downfall was reading every article, I was looking at what people were saying and I got caught up in my own hype a little bit, especially at 18, 19, 20. At 27, I’ve come full circle again where I don’t worry about what people are saying.”
One of his mentors in former Warwickshire team-mate Jonathan Trott did not make his England debut until the age of 28, before going on to play in three-Ashes winning series, earning 52 Test and 68 ODI caps.
There are similarities between the pair. Hain in List A cricket, a format he has not consistently played since the Hundred’s inception, often eschewed risk, preferring instead to rotate the strike while his first-class strike-rate of 45.05 might not find favour with Ben Stokes or Brendon McCullum.
“People make me aware of my List A stuff,” he added. “As a player, I’ve improved from then so I’d like to think I’m not the List A player that I used to be. Cricket has changed in that time.
“Just look at the way Test cricket is now being played. If you don’t go with the times then you get left behind.
“It’s all about strike-rates these days but within that you’ve still got to win games for your side, so I guess it’s just trying to find the right balance between the two.
“It’s each to their own and up to the individual how they want to go about it. What does your team need? If you’re 30 for four, what does a team need? It’s a question I ask myself when I’m batting.”
Hain, who has two centuries in five championship matches this season, is set to switch his attention to the Vitality Blast, which starts on Saturday at Edgbaston with a double header as his Birmingham Bears take on Yorkshire after Derbyshire face Lancashire.
Moeen Ali will captain them this year after joining from Worcestershire although he will be unavailable for Saturday’s ‘Blast Off’ event due to his Indian Premier League commitments.
“I think we’re quite blessed to have Mo as captain,” Hain added.
“We’re building a side that’s going to play exciting cricket but also there’s a lot of experience. In those big, high-pressure moments those guys have been there and done it.”
Stokes to have scan on hamstring injury before Pakistan tour
Ben Stokes will have a scan on his hamstring injury next week with the England captain in a race to be fit for their first Test in Pakistan.
Stokes sustained the injury at the start of August and was subsequently absent from the series win over Sri Lanka.
The 33-year-old revealed earlier this month he was being cautious with his recovery rather than risking further damage with a premature return.
As well as netting throughout his recovery, Stokes has also featured in this week's Celebrity Pro-Am at the PGA Championship in Wentworth.
Despite the issue, he has been named as captain of England's 17-man squad, which is due to depart on October 1 before beginning the three-match series six days later.
England paceman Wood sidelined until 2025 with elbow injury
England bowler Mark Wood will miss the remainder of 2024 after sustaining an injury to his right elbow.
Wood played a full part in the first Test versus Sri Lanka at Old Trafford last month, despite suffering from stiffness and discomfort while bowling during July's series against West Indies.
Wood managed two wickets in that match as England sealed a five-wicket victory, but he was then replaced by Olly Stone for the second Test at Lord's, which ended in another comprehensive home win.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has now confirmed Wood's injury will rule him out of red-ball tours of Pakistan in October and New Zealand in December.
The ECB said it will closely monitor Wood's rehabilitation ahead of a potential return to action in early 2025, with England embarking on a white-ball tour of India – their first with Brendon McCullum in charge of their limited-over sides – in January.
They then head to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy, which begins on February 19.
Bairstow and Moeen left out of England's white-ball squad
Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali have both been left out of England's white-ball series squad, with five uncapped players named.
As Jos Buttler looks to the future, Warwickshire batting all-rounders, Jacob Bethell and Dan Mousley, have been given their first international call-ups for the three-match T20 series against Australia next month.
Essex batter Jordan Cox, Hampshire seamer John Turner and Leicestershire left-arm bowler Josh Hull, who was named as Mark Wood's replacement in the Test squad to play Sri Lanka, have also been picked.
The latter three will also be involved for the five one-day internationals that follow.
World Cup winners Bairstow and Moeen, who have been regular fixtures in England's white-ball squad for over a decade, could have made their final international appearances after being left out of the squad, with Chris Jordan also being overlooked.
Brydon Carse, however, has been recalled for both squads after serving a betting ban, while Saqib Mahmood returns for the T20 series after recovering from injury. Buttler will also be fit to feature after overcoming a calf injury.
Marcus Trescothick will lead England for the first time against Australia after being named Matthew Mott's interim replacement.
Mott left in July following England's semi-final exit to eventual champions India in the T20 World Cup, having also failed to help England defend their 50-over world title in 2023.
The first match of the T20 series will take place on September 11 at The Ageas Bowl in Southampton.
England T20 squad to play Australia:
Jos Buttler (captain), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Josh Hull, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Dan Mousley, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, John Turner.
England ODI squad: Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Will Jacks, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Reece Topley, John Turner.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
