Sonny Baker could only watch the drizzle at Malahide on Friday, wondering what might have been. The 22-year-old quick was pencilled in for a maiden T20I cap against Ireland, a chance to move on from a torrid first one-day outing against South Africa a fortnight earlier. Instead, the second game of England’s short tour washed away, so he waits for clearer skies on Sunday.
England’s management remain keen. Baker, on a development contract after a sharp Lions spell in Australia, clocked 90mph in the Hundred and hurried both David Warner and Jonny Bairstow. Those bursts prompted whispers that he could gate-crash the Ashes squad – whispers silenced, for now, by an uncomfortable afternoon at Headingley.
Asked to defend 131, Baker took the new ball up the slope. Aiden Markram struck three boundaries in the first five deliveries and never looked back. Seven overs later the figures read 0 for 76, the most expensive return by an England debutant in ODIs.
“It was obviously not exactly how I’d planned my debut going,” Baker reflected on Saturday. “Not all good experiences are enjoyable experiences… At the time, I was thinking, ’15 an over for my first three or four overs is not what I had in mind!’ But in the long run, it’ll be a good thing… The next one will definitely be better than that – or hopefully!”
Perspective is helped by team-mates. “Jof [Jofra Archer] came over from cover to mid-off and was like, ‘How’s your heart rate, bud?’ But from an emotional management point of view, I actually felt okay at the time, all things considered. There was so much going on that I didn’t really have time to register, ‘Oh no, this is really not going how I wanted it to.’ It was like, ‘Well, I’ve just got to get on with it and deal with it.’”
The Devon-born seamer is known in dressing rooms for meticulous note-taking. He pores over match footage, scribbles details of batters’ trigger movements and ideal lengths. After Headingley, that black book contained an unusually short entry.
“Brooky was chatting to me after, and said, ‘What did you write down in your notebook after that game?’ I just said, ‘Shit happens,’” Baker smiled. “It was not the best I’ve bowled, but there’s days where I’ve bowled a lot worse than that and got four [wickets] for not very many. It’s just one of those games: you can score qu”
Even unfinished sentences tell a story: young bowler, harsh lesson, optimism intact.
Coaches insist the raw data was kinder than the scoreboard. Baker still found swing with the white Kookaburra, touched high-80s mph regularly and beat the bat on occasion. Markram admitted afterwards that “the ball felt like it was flying on”, praise not lost on the rookie.
If the rain stays away this weekend, Baker should line up again. Ireland’s surface is low and grippy; cutters rather than express pace may prove decisive. Yet England value experience under pressure, even painful experience.
A level head and a notebook full of scribbles suggest Baker is ready for another crack. Should the sun appear over Malahide, expect him to mark out a run-up with the same energy that carried him through Headingley’s toughest day.
