England’s allrounder David Willey, who registered his first international five-wicket haul against Ireland in the first ODI match, has expressed that his best is yet to come. The left-hand pacer returned to international cricket after one year of a gap.
In the three-match ODI series against Ireland, England has rested their premier bowlers which gave chance to David Willey. He capitalised on the opportunity and guided England to a six-wicket victory in the first ODI match.
Willey demolished Ireland’s top-order early which put the visitors in pressure.
Overall, he picked five wickets but didn’t get the chance to bat as England’s skipper Eoin Morgan and Sam Billings’ unbeaten knock of 36 and 67 runs respectively led the team to chase down the low target of 175 runs.
David Willey credit his coach for success:
David Willey said that Richard Pyrah, his bowling coach at Yorkshire, invested time in him. He feels like he is moving in the “right direction” and the best cricket from him is still to come.
“He’s had me badgering him at all times of the day in the winter and fortunately he has invested some time in me. I feel like I’m moving in the right direction and I feel like my best cricket is probably still to come,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Willey as saying.
It’s been a rollercoaster: Willey
Before playing the ODI match against Ireland, David Willey last played for England against Pakistan in the ODI and T20I series in 2019. As he has returned after an extended period, the allrounder is grateful to again don the national jersey.
“It was just special to be out there playing for England again. The main priority was to enjoy it. I’ve gone away and worked quite hard to get back near my best. It’s been a rollercoaster, but I was just out there enjoying my cricket today,” he added.
As of now, Willey has played 47 ODIs and 28 T20Is, picking 57 and 34 wickets. He has also scored 279 ODI runs and 166 T20I runs.