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CARDIFF: Lewis Gregory enjoys the opportunity to use his “inner knowledge” of Pakistani cricket after receiving a shock call from England for an ongoing one-day international series.
The Covid outbreak in the English camp meant the team originally selected for the three-match race was forced to isolate itself when head coach Chris Silverwood had to rally a whole new 18-man party just days before Thursday’s first ODI in Cardiff.
However, despite the upheaval, 50-year-old world champion England continued to destroy Pakistan at nine gates, with only 67.1 matches out of a planned 100 matches required.
Somerset’s versatile Gregory, one of five players in England’s XI who made their debut in the ODI, played their part in a 1-11 draw in four matches after receiving a new ball that saw him set apart by the dangerous Mohammad Rizwan.
But the surprise of his return to the international mission was facilitated by the touch with the fact that Gregory opposed familiar opponents after playing for Islamabad United in this year’s Pakistan Super League T20 tournament.
“The knowledge of who you play with and their strengths and weaknesses helps that the experience at PSL was amazing,” Gregory told reporters on Friday.
“They have great cricket systems in Pakistan. Being able to play against them in the past and knowing who will give you some boost against you. Hopefully we can put it into practice.”
England under Ben Stokes captain may have started a new party, but their players still had the advantage of being played in a match at home in the T20 Blast.
Pakistan, on the other hand, was restricted to one in-team practice game after being quarantined when they arrived in England, and another such match destroyed the rain in Derby.
But Gregory said it was wrong to assume that England, who had been at the forefront of Sophia Gardens from the moment Saqib Mahmood took the gate match with the first ball, had won because Pakistan was underrepresented.
“Of course, that’s not the best preparation,” he agreed. “But they (Pakistan) have apparently played cricket, they have come from the delayed PSL – I don’t think they would have come in a couple of months chilling (relaxing) at home.
“Quarantine isn’t easy, I’ve been there, done it, it’s not a nice thing to go through, but we played really well.”
The series continues at the Lord this weekend and the 29-year-old, who has also represented England in the eight T20 series, added:
It is still uncertain whether the English stand-init for the next T20 series against Pakistan will be maintained, but Gregory is determined to make the most of its potential.
Saturday’s match at cricket’s home is set to hold capacity in front of an audience – the first English cricket seen since the pandemic.
“Every time you play with the Lord, it’s amazing, and doing it in front of a full house is special,” Gregory said.
“It’s been a long time playing in front of anyone, so it’s going to be amazing. I can’t wait to be there and see how special it really is.”
The Covid outbreak in the English camp meant the team originally selected for the three-match race was forced to isolate itself when head coach Chris Silverwood had to rally a whole new 18-man party just days before Thursday’s first ODI in Cardiff.
However, despite the upheaval, 50-year-old world champion England continued to destroy Pakistan at nine gates, with only 67.1 matches out of a planned 100 matches required.
Somerset’s versatile Gregory, one of five players in England’s XI who made their debut in the ODI, played their part in a 1-11 draw in four matches after receiving a new ball that saw him set apart by the dangerous Mohammad Rizwan.
But the surprise of his return to the international mission was facilitated by the touch with the fact that Gregory opposed familiar opponents after playing for Islamabad United in this year’s Pakistan Super League T20 tournament.
“The knowledge of who you play with and their strengths and weaknesses helps that the experience at PSL was amazing,” Gregory told reporters on Friday.
“They have great cricket systems in Pakistan. Being able to play against them in the past and knowing who will give you some boost against you. Hopefully we can put it into practice.”
England under Ben Stokes captain may have started a new party, but their players still had the advantage of being played in a match at home in the T20 Blast.
Pakistan, on the other hand, was restricted to one in-team practice game after being quarantined when they arrived in England, and another such match destroyed the rain in Derby.
But Gregory said it was wrong to assume that England, who had been at the forefront of Sophia Gardens from the moment Saqib Mahmood took the gate match with the first ball, had won because Pakistan was underrepresented.
“Of course, that’s not the best preparation,” he agreed. “But they (Pakistan) have apparently played cricket, they have come from the delayed PSL – I don’t think they would have come in a couple of months chilling (relaxing) at home.
“Quarantine isn’t easy, I’ve been there, done it, it’s not a nice thing to go through, but we played really well.”
The series continues at the Lord this weekend and the 29-year-old, who has also represented England in the eight T20 series, added:
It is still uncertain whether the English stand-init for the next T20 series against Pakistan will be maintained, but Gregory is determined to make the most of its potential.
Saturday’s match at cricket’s home is set to hold capacity in front of an audience – the first English cricket seen since the pandemic.
“Every time you play with the Lord, it’s amazing, and doing it in front of a full house is special,” Gregory said.
“It’s been a long time playing in front of anyone, so it’s going to be amazing. I can’t wait to be there and see how special it really is.”
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