Essex’s Jamie Porter: I don’t need to bowl 90mph to play for England

Jamie Porter told Sky Sports he does not need electrifying speed to make an impact for England in international cricket.

Essex seamer Porter topped the Specsavers County Championship wicket-taking charts in 2017, bagging 75 in 13 games at an average of 16.82, as his unbeaten side won the title for the first in time 25 years in their maiden season back in the top flight.

Pace is the watchword at the moment, with England’s lack of it mentioned as a principal reason for their Ashes hammering over the winter – the tourists’ attack looking pedestrian compared to Australia’s Exocets Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins.

Porter, who operates at around 85mph on the speed gun, may not seem the obvious answer for England, but, ahead of Essex’s trophy defence – which gets underway against Yorkshire at Headingley on Friday – he told Sky Sports he is not short of “x-factor”.

“I know the hype is pace and I am not at the top of that bracket but I think I deliver my own type of x-factor and hopefully I will prove that again this summer,” said Porter, whose winter was disrupted by a stress fracture of the back.

“I take wickets – I don’t do it at 90mph but I do it at low-to-mid eighties and Broad and Anderson have shown that is quick enough if you move the ball a bit, as I do.

“It’s important to have a balanced attack, so if you have got a good 90mph bowler you want him in there, but ultimately you need new-ball bowlers who are going to hit the seam and find the right areas.

“I felt I was there or thereabouts [ahead of the Ashes squad selection] and I would say there is probably a 30 or 40 per cent chance of me being in that team for the first Pakistan Test [in May].

“There are so many good bowlers who weren’t even in New Zealand who probably have a bigger claim than me, so it’s my job to perform for Essex and create a much bigger claim.

“My dream has always been to play for England and that won’t ever change but you have to look at where you are. Right now, I’m with Essex and it’s about retaining the title and if I then play for England it will be about making an impact there.

“Succeeding Broad and Anderson with the England new ball would be the dream.”

Perhaps England’s new bowling coach Chris Silverwood can put in a good word for Porter.

Silverwood has succeeded Ottis Gibson in the role – the ECB hierarchy suitably impressed by the former Yorkshire seamer steering Essex to promotion and then the four-day crown in his two seasons in the top job at Chelmsford.

Porter admits he is sorry to see the 43-year-old depart – “he made me the bowler I am now” – but says England’s pacemen are now in great hands.

“Spoons [Silverwood] was the biggest influence, so it’s going to be tough without him. I wouldn’t say he changed me but he helped me grow, learn and add to my game,” said Porter, who scooped five five-fors in 2017, with a best of 7-55 against Somerset.

“He taught me how to take wickets. It was season after season stuff, with an example being last winter when it was about becoming the best bowler against left-handers over the wicket, taking the ball away and getting the odd one to come back. We worked on that a lot.

“England are getting an absolute legend – one of the best blokes you will ever meet and someone who really knows his stuff. We always had potential at Essex but he really got it out of everyone. He created a great culture and got everyone playing for him.”

Batsman Dan Lawrence believes he is in the England frame – the 20-year-old plundered three hundreds and three fifties during the last campaign as Essex cantered to the Championship title.

Sky Sports‘ Rob Key says he would have picked the right-hander in England’s Ashes squad once it became apparent that Ben Stokes would play no part in the series – and Lawrence feels he has the talent and the mentality to make his international bow this summer.

“I feel there are a lot of England spots available, so early season is going to be massive, not only for me but a lot of batters around the country,” said Lawrence. “If you can score heavy runs and make an impression, I don’t see any reason why you can’t play for England.

“I think I have the game to cope with international cricket. I am still young but I know my game quite well and thrive under pressure. My style is not 100 per cent traditional, I choke the bottom hand a little bit and am more of a leg-side player, but I base my game on batting long periods of time.

“Experience with the England Lions has certainly helped – there is healthy competition for places and you are under the microscope because you know a lot of people are watching you.”

Few would have earmarked Essex as Championship victors in 2017 – we certainly didn’t! – but Lawrence says the county’s first title since 1992 came as no surprise to him, and he is backing the team to retain the trophy.

“We made a big thing of making our presence felt, that was what we were all saying, and as the games went on the belief got higher,” he added.

“From about six or seven games into the year we thought we could win it and then from eight or nine games in it felt like a formality. We never felt like we would lose a game but it was an amazing effort to go through the season unbeaten.

“It was only a matter of time [before we earned success]. We have so many young, talented players and so many experienced, classy ones that it had to form into one at some point.

“It wasn’t a surprise that we won the title as I think we comfortably had the best team and I think we have again this year as well. I wouldn’t be shocked at all if we won it again.

“There are plenty of strong teams, though, including Lancashire. You also don’t know what season Surrey will have, while Nottinghamshire look powerful coming up from Division Two.”

Make sure you follow the Specsavers County Championship on Sky Sports this summer. Click here for more details.

(c) Sky News 2018: Essex’s Jamie Porter: I don’t need to bowl 90mph to play for England