Bedford-born Emilio Gay hit his second century of the County Championship season as he helped Durham to a conclusive eight-wicket victory over Lancashire on Monday (27 April), aiding his England selection hopes.
Gay hit an unbeaten 159 with 24 boundaries as he shared a record third wicket partnership of 290 with South African international, David Bedingham (129 not out), helping his side to a second win of the campaign.
Durham are now second in Division Two of the County Championship, just three points behind Lancashire in the early stages of the new red ball season.
April can be a tricky time for batters in the English game given the cooler temperatures and the composition of the pitches in the county structure, but Gay has come out of the traps firing on all cylinders.
England’s next opener?
Monday’s unbeaten 159 comes after claiming the honour of scoring the season’s first century across both divisions, hitting 128 against Kent, in a game eventually succumbing to the effects of Storm Dave at the beginning of the month.
He missed out on runs in Durham’s massive total of 605/5 against Gloucestershire last time out, but has hit back in style in the third round of fixtures, with his name being heavily mentioned as the next off the rank for an England spot.
Despite batting at three for Durham, Emilio has extensive experience as an opening batter.
With current England opener Zak Crawley flattering to deceive, having not got past 31 in six first-class innings for Kent, calls are growing for Gay to replace him in time for the test match summer.
A drop to Division Two shouldn’t hinder his chances, given the calibre of some of the bowlers he is coming up against.
His 159 on Monday came against an attack led by none other than the sport’s leading red-ball test match wicket taker, Sir James Anderson, who has 704 test match wickets as part of a wider haul of 1,166 first-class scalps.
However, he – along with his Lancashire teammates – were unable to dislodge the 26-year old Gay, as he notched up a 12th first-class century in albeit friendly batting conditions on Monday.
Shadowing the Ashes
Gay’s winter was an eventful one, as he played a full part in the England ‘A’ tour of Australia, shadowing the full international side as England once again wilted under pressure in the Ashes.
For Emilio however, he was able to gain invaluable experience under the guidance of former England talisman, Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff, who is now the head coach of England ‘A’.
In a recent interview with ESPN Cricinfo, Emilio was buoyant about his chances of an England call-up, saying, “I’d like to think a couple more performances and my name’s in the hat for Test matches in the summer or in the winter, whenever that is.
“But it’s hard to know.”
Read: Emilio Gay: ‘Freddie congratulated me on having a strut’ (ESPN Cricinfo)
Attention will quickly turn to Lord’s, where Durham’s next match in Division Two of the County Championship takes place against Middlesex, beginning this Friday (1 May).
A good innings or two at the Home of Cricket may well catch some more eyeballs, and with England’s first test match of the Summer against New Zealand a mere five weeks away – also at Lord’s – the stars may be aligning for one of Bedford’s finest at the crease.
