Opportunity awaiting Amar Virdi in Surrey

Wednesday 02nd May 2018 06:29 EDT
 
 

Four youngsters - Ollie Pope, Amar Virdi, Sam Curran and Ryan Patel – got chance to play together for Surrey in the county cricket last week. Thanks to major contributions by Ollie Pope and Amar Virdi Surrey beat Hampshire. These youngsters got the chance because of the absence of regular players for various reasons. This quartet has already taken the field together in a match against Middlesex last August. It was the first time four teenagers had played together for any championship side since 1939.

With the growth of short-form tournaments, opportunities for youngsters will expand. Their path will not always run smooth because emerging talent requires patience and lot of courage. But clubs who back them will surely be rewarded. Surrey must soon decide whether they continue to pick Virdi when Batty, the team’s senior off-spinner with more than 650 first-class wickets to his name, is fit again. Virdi has only played four first-class matches but has generated rave reviews, in part because of the dire state of English spin bowling and Moeen Ali’s stated desire to win back his Test place primarily as a batsman. But he still has a lot to learn and selection for a Lions training camp last winter may have come too soon.

“He’s got good natural skills,” said Gareth Townsend, Surrey’s academy director. “He spins it, he’s got nice flight and he bowls at good pace. He’s passionate and talks intelligently. The modern young player doesn’t always communicate but he has developed a nice way about him. He’s got an opinion and there’s a good character in there.” Townsend also highlighted Virdi’s tribulations. “He’s had to battle his way through. I picked him as a 14-year-old to make his second XI debut at Northamptonshire and then he dropped out of the system for a year or two. But he kept coming back, wanting to get better. We worked hard to keep him doing the right things and in the past 12-18 months he’s flourished.

“With the way he bowls, his fitness and mobility are important, because they help him get through the crease. Historically, if he hasn’t worked hard in those areas, it affects his action and he’s not as effective.” With Zafar Ansari having retired and Batty now 40, Virdi can establish himself as Surrey’s premier spinner and put himself in the frame for England. “We need a young spinner to take over from Gareth Batty,” Townsend added. “With the dearth of spin resources England have, he’s got an opportunity. If Virdi keeps developing, there’s a bright future for him. He will be successful if he keeps his work ethic high,” Townsend said.


comments powered by Disqus



to the free, weekly Asian Voice email newsletter