Ball injury as England take lead over Cricket Australia XI

Trevor Bayliss, England’s Australian coach, often talks about players having “something about them”. Mason Crane is a classic example.

The 20-year-old leg-spinner’s inclusion in the Ashes squad was really a punt by Bayliss, with the youngster’s hugely successful time in Australia last winter that ended with him playing for New South Wales first catching the England supremo’s eye and earning him an international debut last summer.

That T20 match against South Africa in Cardiff saw AB De Villiers take a particular liking to the Hampshire spinner. 

But instead of losing his nerve, Crane continued to toss the ball up and was rewarded with a significant maiden international wicket.

Named in the squads for all three Tests against West Indies at the end of the English summer, Crane’s place on this Ashes tour wasn’t really a surprise despite a modest first-class season for Hampshire that saw him play just seven County Championship matches and take 16 wickets at 44.69.

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Yet is was his time in Sydney last winter – and work with former Australia leg-spinner Stuart MacGill - that ultimately put him on the fast-track to international selection.

Crane had initially set out just to play Grade cricket for Gordon but so successful was his time at the club – he took 52 wickets in 12 matches - that by the end of the winter he became the first overseas player to represent New South Wales since Imran Khan in 1984-85.

Given Bayliss’ connection with NSW – he played for them throughout his career and was their coach before joining England in 2015 – it was no surprise he took a particular interest in Crane.

And the one quality that must impress Bayliss the most is his sheer confidence. Crane may look like an awkward teenager, but it hides an inner steel that is evident when he bowls.

That’s why it’s no surprise to hear him say he has no fears about making his Test debut against the Australians in the Ashes. 

“I’m very confident if I was called upon I could do a job,” he says. “I probably wouldn’t be here if other people didn’t think so either.”

Crane, who impressed in taking two wickets during England’s opening two-day tour match against a Western Australian XI in Perth, appears to be made of sterner stuff and is excited about the prospect of the Australians trying to take him down.

“You’ve got to get used to it because that is the way Australians tend to play spin,” he said. “I know they are going to come after me so it is about holding my nerve and getting them out in the end.”

It’s a good job Crane, who arrived in Adelaide with the rest of England’s squad on Monday, possesses such confidence given the side injury to Moeen that has ruled him out of the first two tour games, including the four-day pink-ball match against a Cricket Australia XI at the Adelaide Oval starting on Wednesday.

While the all-rounder is expected to be fine for the start of the Ashes in Brisbane on November 23, his fitness issues show just how close Crane is to playing.

“It just confirms that I have to prepare for every single game like I’m going to play,” he said. “You never know. I’ve got to be prepared to play in every game on this tour.”

Crane could profit from Moeen Ali's injury (Getty)
Crane’s work with MacGill last winter proved invaluable, as did his appearance for New South Wales in a crucial end-of-season Sheffield Shield match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.

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“When I was working with Stu, he was very keen on letting me know what a big deal it was to play for New South Wales,” says Crane. “That was a big game and luckily this summer I’ve been able to play in some other big games as well. I feel like if I was called upon tomorrow, I’d be confident to go out and play.”

Much of that confidence is down to MacGill, who would have played far more than 44 Tests had he not been around at the same time as Shane Warne.

“Absolutely, Stu’s had a big influence,” says Crane. “We had a great relationship. He is as passionate as anyone I’ve seen when they talk about bowling and that came across even when I just spoke to him over coffee. We worked on a couple of technical things but a lot of it was mental with him - he was an amazing help.”

If Crane does play a part in an England Ashes win this winter, it will surely be even sweeter for the man himself knowing that so much of his craft was learned in Australia.

source: AFP