31 January 2023 , 13:53
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Olly Stone is desperate to finish on a high in South Africa with a win to go with his impressive performances.
And now that he is starting to string several matches together, he is hoping he might be able to follow in the longevity footsteps of a certain Jimmy Anderson too. Stone has caught the eye in both matches so far and could count himself unlucky to have ended up on the losing side both times.
That was especially the case in the second match when his 2-48 in trying to defend 342 was an exhibition of middle overs bowling. And for a bowler who has spent so much time on the sidelines suffering with injuries, the simple joy of getting on the park could only be improved by enjoying the taste of victory too.
“It's obviously not gone the way in terms of the results we've wanted,” said Stone. “But I guess personally that it's nice to be out there and showing people what I can deliver.
“I've obviously struggled with injuries in the past, hopefully I can tag that on at the end of my career and do something similar to what Jimmy's done - he's obviously a freak. If I could go a bit longer than maybe I would have if I'd had a bit of cricket under my belt, that would be great.
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“Every series, you're obviously aiming for, the World Cup is a big one that we're all pushing towards and hopefully some performances can help get that call. We haven't played our greatest cricket, but there's some positives to take forward and we'll go into tomorrow giving it our all and hopefully we can win the final game and finish the series on a positive note.”
Stone has been a highlight for England in South Africa (Graham Denholm - CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
World Cup winner Liam Plunkett was a crucial weapon in the middle overs (PA)With his express pace, Stone is used to opening the bowling or coming back at the death, but in South Africa he has found another role that he could make his own.
Just as Liam Plunkett did in the 2019 World Cup winning team, Stone could become England’s partnership breaker between overs 10 and 40, and if it gets him in the team he is happy to have it.
“It's not something I've been used to,” he added. “I've always been used to bowling up the top and at the death but any way to get in the England team, I'll snap someone's hand off. It's great to be out there, great to be performing and if that's the role I'll feature in the future then I'll happily do it.”