New England fast bowler George Scrimshaw has spoken about his disappointing ODI debut against Ireland in September 2023. The right-arm pacer delivered six no-balls in his initial two overs and mentioned that he avoided social media to escape the constant ridicule.
Despite ending with respectable figures of 8.4-0-66-3, including dismissals of Andy Balbirnie, Lorcan Tucker, and Josh Little, the 26-year-old Scrimshaw bowled four no-balls in his first over and two more in his second. After 11 legal deliveries, his figures stood at 1.5-0-35-0.
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In an interview with BBC Sport, the young player described his confusion over the situation, noting that he rarely overstepped in domestic games. He said:
“I’d bowled one front foot no-ball in the first T20 game of the 2023 season but not a single one after that. So, I’m just thinking ‘what is going on here?’ I felt the same as in every game.”
“My body was hurting a little bit but that’s no excuse – my body is always hurting! I tried not to look at socials. All the reports were coming through – things like ‘nightmare debut’, ‘hero to zero’. After that game, I had a bit of performance anxiety.”
Scrimshaw also remembered how difficult it was for him to sleep that night:
“I just didn’t know what was going on: is my run-up wrong? Am I running in faster? Am I running in slower? Just horrible. I couldn’t get to sleep. Some people can let things go a lot easier than others – that day really swallowed me up.”
The 26-year-old was England’s second-highest wicket-taker in the innings, with Rehan Ahmed leading with four wickets. England set Ireland a target of 335 runs, and Ireland managed to score 286 before being dismissed.
“My primary objective is to return there”- George Scrimshaw
Scrimshaw mentioned that he doesn’t anticipate another England call-up in the near future but is committed to working hard to earn his place back. He added:
“I’ve not been in touch with England a lot to be honest. I’ve had one message to say, ‘we’ll be watching you’. For now, it’s about not expecting too much. It’s about working hard, nailing down my place, doing well in T20 and seeing what comes of it. But obviously my main goal is to get back there.”
The right-arm pacer’s latest appearance was with Northamptonshire against Yorkshire in the Vitality Blast in June.
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