Jake Ball nearly threw away after receiving England call

May 14, 2016 at 12:21 PM

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Jake Ball nearly threw away after receiving England call

Jake Ball is over the moon after he was included in the 12-member squad for the Test series against Sri Lanka. The pacer is one of the two debutants to be included in the squad, the other one is batsman James Vince.

In fact, Ball has revealed that he was so excited after receiving the news that he nearly threw up on national selector James Whitaker .The 25-year-old seamer earned the national call-up on the back of a strong showing for England Lions and Nottinghamshire at the start of the County season.

Ball received the news of his inclusion this past week during Nottinghamshire’s rain-interrupted clash against Middlesex at Lord’s.

“I had just had a chocolate tart from the Lord’s lunch which I nearly chucked up over James Whitaker,” Ball said, on Friday (May 13). “Words can’t describe the emotions I was going through. When I went back up to the dressing room all the lads knew what had been going on and everything went quiet when I walked in. But they were all delighted for me. It was a special moment.”

An elated ball also revealed an interesting story about his first meeting with England coach Trevor Bayliss. Ball revealed that Bayliss did not recognise him when they first met.

“I met Trevor and bumped into him in a corridor in my Notts gear and shook his hand. I don’t think he quite knew who I was. I passed him, went up and got my England kit and he said: ‘It’s Jake, isn’t it?’

“It wasn’t how I planned it go, but we had a nice chat and he told me to carry on what I’m doing for Notts and see where it takes you. It was a bit of a surreal moment meeting the team. I’ve watched Jimmy [James] Anderson and Stuart Broad over a few years coming through the ranks at Notts and to be in the same squad as them, and for them to come over and say well done, that’s when it started to hit home that I’m in an England squad.”

Ball’s ability to extract extra bounce from the surface because of his huge frame makes him special. He grabbed everyone’s attention after dismissing England star Joe Root in Nottinghamshire’s game against defending champions Yorkshire. He ended the innings with four wickets and that spell played an important role in his selection.

“I didn’t mention the dismissal to him,” Ball said of his meeting with Root during the training session. “I didn’t want to dent his confidence before the coming series. It was nice to get him out and that’s when you start to realise where you are as a bowler. He is the same age as me and will end up being on of the best to ever play the game. I’m sure I’ll bring it up over the next few weeks.

“I feel my game is at a place where it has never been before and I’m really comfortable with the way I go about my game and how I prepare. I still have a way to go but in terms of confidence and what I could offer the team, I feel ready to go. There will be a few nerves flying about but when I get the first training session out of the way and learn the added things that come with playing for England, I think I will be able to slot in quite nicely.”

The first Test of the three-match series  starts at Headingley on May 19.

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