Dan Lawrence dismisses Michael Vaughan’s claim that he is not cut out to open ahead of Sri Lanka Test series - as batter insists he is 'aggressive' and 'fits the mould' of England's Bazball style
- Dan Lawrence is set to replace Zak Crawley as England opener against Sri Lanka
- Crawley will miss the series after breaking his finger against the West Indies
- Michael Vaughan does not believe Lawrence is the right man to replace Crawley
Dan Lawrence dealt with questions about his new role as England’s latest Test opener in the style with which he hopes to tackle Sri Lanka’s bowlers in Manchester: nonchalantly, with a hint of swagger.
Bazball England have taken a few punts since Brendon McCullum joined forces with Ben Stokes more than two years ago. By their standards, perhaps, the promotion of Lawrence – who has spent most of his first-class career at No 4 – hardly registers on the gamble-ometer.
Yet the decision to partner him at the top of the order with his friend and golf buddy Ben Duckett, while Zak Crawley nurses a broken finger, is doubly audacious: Lawrence is making his international comeback, having not played a Test since England’s tour of the Caribbean in early 2022 – the last series of the Joe Root era.
Not everyone is convinced that a specialist role should be filled by a player who has opened in only seven of his 203 first-class innings, with former England captain Michael Vaughan arguing the move is ‘not the right call’.
But McCullum and Stokes – whose hamstring injury means he will watch this series from the sidelines as Ollie Pope takes charge – are used to having their sanity queried. And, in Lawrence, they have settled on a cricketer of similar self-assurance.
Dan Lawrence is set to open for England against Sri Lanka during the upcoming Test series
Regular opener Zak Crawley will miss the series after breaking a finger against the West Indies
Ex-England captain Michael Vaughan suggested Lawrence was not cut out to open for England
Did Vaughan’s comments bother him? ‘I got asked to open the batting, and I’m definitely going to say yes,’ he said. ‘So obviously people are going to have their opinions, but I’m chuffed to get the opportunity.’
Lawrence was probably unlucky to be dropped only two games after making 91 and 41 off 39 balls against West Indies at Bridgetown two and a half years ago – a tour on which his selfless approached made an impression on Stokes.
But Pope returned to the side for the first Test under McCullum, against New Zealand, and when Jonny Bairstow broke his leg a couple of months later, the selectors turned instead to Harry Brook.
Lawrence left Essex for Surrey at the end of the 2023 season in a bid to resurrect his England hopes, but there was no shaking off the sense of unfulfilment.
‘I’ve been on the sidelines for a couple of years now, which has been frustrating at times,’ he said. ‘But my way of going about it is to be quite aggressive, and it’s the style of cricketer that Baz and Stokes are generally after, so I think I fit the mould.
‘I’ve said before that if I get the chance to play for England again, I’d bat No 11. So I was just waiting for an opportunity and, wherever that was, I was going to snap their hands off for it.
‘I think my style will suit opening the batting. It might be quite a nice thing, having not played for England for a while, to actually just strap the pads on and go straight in, instead of thinking and waiting.’
The 27-year-old batter was in high spririts as he trained with Brendan McCullum's squad
Dan Lawrence has already played in 11 tests for England, last featuring in March 2022
As players and backroom staff convened for a huddle on the Old Trafford outfield in rainy Manchester yesterday lunchtime, that was very much the message delivered by McCullum: Lawrence has been part of the Bazball revolution in spirit, if not in person, and it doesn’t matter where he bats. We have picked you, McCullum told him, because we like the cut of your jib.
It’s true that, in his 11 Tests so far, Lawrence has been nothing if not versatile, filling every position from three to seven, even if he has not always shown off the talent that has brought him 17 first-class hundreds and an average this season of 53 for the defending county champions.
But a Test average of 29, with more ducks (five) than half-centuries (four), leaves room for improvement.
‘I showed glimpses of what I can do,’ he said of his first crack at Test cricket. ‘I was fairly inconsistent, but that all came with being quite young. I wasn’t completely sure of my game at that time. I’m treating this as a bit of a fresh start.’
Lawrence believes that he fits England coach Brendon McCullum's (above) style of cricket
Lawrence, now 27, believes he has tightened up his game, and says he controls his emotions ‘a lot better’. He is open about his style: because he prefers the leg side, he is happy to be patient outside off stump and wait for the bowlers to aim straighter. When they oblige, he can be murderous.
Then there are his odd-looking off-breaks, delivered off the wrong foot, but good enough to bring him 35 first-class wickets, and useful for a few overs if Shoaib Bashir needs a breather.
‘When I signed for Surrey, I thought my way into the England team was batting lower down the order and bowling a bit of spin, because the top six were so settled. So it’s something I’ve worked really hard on.
‘The action’s a little bit unique. It feels completely normal to me, and then when I watch it back it can be quite tough!’
England’s longer-than-usual tail – Chris Woakes has not batted as high as No 7 in Test cricket for four years – in theory increases the pressure on Lawrence to mark his return with a significant innings. But he seems unfazed by the prospect.
‘I’m just going to enjoy these few weeks, hopefully score some runs and put my name in the hat for future selection,’ he said. Whatever happens, it won’t be dull.
