Could England’s next Test match batsman be the current Italy international?
Durham’s Emilio Gay certainly hopes so. The left-hander is eyeing a move to Ben Stokes’ red-ball side in 2025 and is focusing on improving his white-ball skills to do so.
Bedford-born Gay qualified for the Italian national team through his mother and played in four 50-over matches for the Azzurri in November, hitting his highest half-century with 96 against Tanzania in each match.
Gay moved to Durham on loan in 2024 ahead of a permanent deal over the winter.
This appearance will not prevent him from representing his native England, as Italy is not a full member of the ICC. And the top player is frustrated that he hasn’t done so yet.
Gay scored 1,019 County Championship goals in 2024, including 919 in 10 appearances for Northamptonshire in Division Two and then 100 in Division One for Durham, whom he initially joined on loan ahead of a permanent switch over the winter. was additionally recorded.
The highlight was Northants’ innings of 261 against Middlesex.
But when England needed an extra batsman in New Zealand due to Jamie Smith’s paternity leave, Gay was overlooked in favor of Jacob Bethell, a player who has not hit 100 red balls to Gay’s six and has scored 466 first-class runs this summer. .
Gay was disappointed by Britain’s lack of involvement
Of course, Bethell showed the best of his talent against the Black Caps, striking a quarter-century at number three and looking every bit the Test player, but Zak Crawley’s lack of form at the top of the order may have given Gay his chance. . The phone smells.
So where does he think he stands in the pecking order?
Gay, 24, said. sky sports: “(England men’s opener) Luke Wright contacted me about the Lions game last August. I think he missed the red ball game against Sri Lanka.
“I am an honest person and I am understandably disappointed not to be part of the squad or the Lions tour of England this winter.
“I know they’re going a slightly different route when it comes to selecting young players, but I just got to 1,000 points and had two good seasons before that.
Gay scored 261 for the Northants against Middlesex in the 2024 County Championship.
“I feel like I’m at a point in my career where I’m aiming for a top three spot in Test cricket but for whatever reason I haven’t been selected.
“At the average age of 60, there are times when things are difficult and I would like to understand more why this happened, but it’s something I can’t control.
“I certainly don’t want to trash what other people have done, because there are some really talented players who have adapted quickly to this Bazball format.
My strike rate has gone up. I had a more positive mindset and was a little more involved in the game. I’ve always had the desire to score runs and get RBIs over long periods of time, but all I’ve lacked is a little more consistency, but this year I’ve found myself in the 50s and 100s.
‘I want to try doing things a little differently’
“All I can do is score, score hundreds and go about my business.
“My goal for next season is not necessarily to get over 1,000 points, but to do more than what people expect from Emilio Gay, and I’m going to do it a little differently.
“I think being injured for most of the Vitality Blast last year and not playing much T20 cricket has been a bit detrimental to my aim of playing Test cricket, especially considering the way England are playing at the moment.
“My goal was to dominate red-ball cricket, but now that I am more established in county cricket, I want to expand my white-ball game. That was one of the reasons why I chose to play for Italy.”
Gay’s innings of 57, 50 and 66 against Tanzania and his unbeaten run against Hong Kong, Uganda and Singapore saw him open alongside former Australian star Joe Burns.
He added: “I thought it was a good opportunity to get through a tough wicket (in Uganda) and explore a bit and play freely when there wasn’t a lot of pressure for the result. I was really glad I went.
“It was a good environment and fun, but it was also an opportunity to play with some good players. I learned a little bit from them.”
“(Kent’s) Grant Stewart and (former Middlesex, Hampshire and Northamptonshire all-rounder) Gareth Berg were there too, so we had some really good cricketing minds around us.
“The players are backing themselves to qualify for the 2026 T20 World Cup and I think they have a really good chance. I’m amazed at how much skill there is in the camp.”
‘Moving to Durham was the best thing of my career’
Gay did not rule out playing in Italy again but stressed that securing an England call-up was his ultimate goal and said this was the main reason he swapped Northants for Durham.
The batsman, who is looking to improve his fielding and athleticism over the winter, said: “Durham have produced a lot of England players over the years and there are players in this dressing room with recent or current international experience.”
“Ben Stokes, Mark Wood, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts and Ollie Robinson have all been called up in England for the New Zealand series, while David Bedingham has been called up in South Africa.
“There are so many players at this club that I want to be with to put me in the best position to achieve my goals. There weren’t many counties I would go past beyond Durham.
Gay says Durham’s trend of producing English players was a key factor in the switch to Chester-le-Street.
“People say leaving Northants was a big and difficult decision, and in some ways it was. “It was disappointing to leave my family down there, friends and memories behind, but I think it’s the best thing for my career. Decisions just got easier.
“The exposure at Northampton probably wasn’t as great as it was in Division One with players from the English system.
“I remember getting 100 against Surrey in Division One in 2022 against the best bowling attack, knocks like that might not be emphasized as much in certain places.”
