Nottinghamshire had two representatives present as England were subject to a narrow defeat against Sri Lanka in the sole NatWest International T20 at the Kia Oval.
Harry Gurney impressed on debut for his country, ending with figures of 2-26, and the pick of the England bowlers was unlucky not to take a third late into the Sri Lanka innings.
“It felt a lot like making my county debut,” said Gurney.
“In cricket, it’s all about moving above levels which you’ve excelled at and developing.
“Ultimately, take the lights away and it’s just another game of cricket. You just have to apply your skills, stick to your guns and back yourself to perform well.”
Gurney’s first scalp in international cricket was an impressive one, bowling an excellent delivery to clip the hugely experienced Dilshan’s off stump.
“I pictured him scooping me all over the place, the thought of getting him out hadn’t even crossed my mind,” he said.
“Playing for England is starting to be a little more comfortable, but I’ve only made one appearance in each format, so the novelty hasn’t worn off yet.
“To be honest it’s been an excellent feeling, just being in and around players who I had watched on television and being part of a team I’d been a fan of for so long.”
Despite ultimately falling to defeat, Alex Hales excelled for his country again, scoring 66 to keep England’s chase alive. As a name already renowned for his T20 prowess, Gurney added that his team mate will look to continue his form this Friday as Nottinghamshire host Worcestershire Rapids in the Outlaws’ second fixture of the NatWest T20 Blast.
“Alex just loves scoring runs for England. Every time he’s out there he’s dangerous and looks like scoring,” he said.
“I think he deserves a lot of credit because there’s such an element of risk to scoring at that rate. He’s playing very well at the moment, and that can only be good for Nottinghamshire too.
“Last Friday was excellent, and we’ll all be pushing to make it two wins from two. Worcestershire carry a lot of threat in Saeed Ajmal and of course Moeen Ali, who is likely to be back and playing for them.
“I’m intending to play for Notts, but of course that decision rests with England. Looking at how we’ve lined up in prior One Day Internationals, I think I’ll have an outside chance.”
Notts Outlaws NatWest T20 Blast fixture and ticket information:
v Worcestershire Rapids – Friday 23 May 6pm BUY TICKETS
v Durham Jets – Friday 30 May 6pm BUY TICKETS
v Birmingham Bears – Friday 13 June 6pm BUY TICKETS
v Derbyshire Falcons – Friday 20 June 6pm BUY TICKETS
v Yorkshire Vikings – Saturday 28 June 2.30pm BUY TICKETS
v Leicestershire Foxes – Sunday 20 July 2.30pm BUY TICKETS
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