Nottinghamshire's Jake Ball is proud to be part of England’s current white ball squads at a time when he believes the options for the selectors have rarely been better.
The Mansfield-born seamer, along with teammate Alex Hales, is in the Three Lions’ IT20 squad who will face one-off matches against Australia at Edgbaston this evening (6.30pm start) and then India next Tuesday (3 July) at Old Trafford.
He also played in the landmark 5-0 Royal London ODI Series whitewash of Australia and will be in the running to take on the Indians in 50-over cricket following the conclusion of the two IT20 matches.
Ball feels England, who set a 50-over world record 481-6 at Trent Bridge last week, are well placed to excel in the shorter forms of the game for the foreseeable future.
It’s always exciting to be part of any England squad,” he said. “In recent years the white ball squad has proven just how they are and how much talent there is in the country at the minute.
“I think that’s testament to the strength of the Vitality Blast. It’s such a strong tournament and there are such good players coming out of that.
“There are players not in this squad that could quite easily walk into any other squad, so I think that shows just how strong this England team is.”
“There are players not in this squad that could quite easily walk into any other squad, so I think that shows just how strong this England team is.”
One of those players who has been pushing hard for senior England honours in one-day cricket is Notts captain Steven Mullaney, who has recently won his first Lions call.
Ball is not surprised that his name is now increasingly mentioned whenever selection is on the agenda.
He said: “Mull has proven over a number of years now that he has both quality and consistency in his performances.
“He is a perfect player to have in your side who bats and bowls well and leads from the front when acting as a captain or as a senior player.
“He just keeps going form strength to strength and he just keeps getting better and better. The knock he played in last year’s 50-over semi-final at Essex just shows the quality player he is.”
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T20 returns to Trent Bridge on 4 July with a 2017 Finals Day rematch of Notts Outlaws v Birmingham Bears. Tickets are £10 in advance for adults, £7 for over-65s & under-21s and £5 for under 16s. Secure your seats now.