David Willey: “I’m at a real crossroads at the minute”
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
David Willey is mulling over becoming a limited overs specialist as he admitted his chances of playing Test cricket are all but over.
The left-arm seamer has represented England in 31 ODIs and 16 Twenty20 Internationals, but has tried to break into the Test side over and over again.
However, with the 27-year-old having been repeatedly overlooked, he is now considering abandoning his hopes of making his debut in the longest format.
“I think over the past couple of years, the way the scheduling is now it’s difficult to play enough four-day cricket to put your name in the frame for Test cricket,” Willey told cricket.com.au. “So, I’m at a real crossroads at the minute actually of whether I decide to pursue a career in Twenty20 cricket and one-day cricket and leave my dreams of Test cricket behind.
“Certainly, two years ago I still had ambitions to play Test cricket. But right now, I’m at a real crossroads and I’ll have some sleepless nights thinking about that.
“For me now it’s thinking about my body, my family, how long I want to be away from home and not only that but what sort of a condition I want to leave myself in come the end of my career and how long I can play for.
“They’re all things I need to weigh up and yes it would be great to play Test cricket but I’m 27 now and how long would I play Test cricket for? Probably not that long. So, am I better off pursuing a career in the shorter formats?”
Willey has been included in England’s squad for the upcoming limited overs series against Australia, but he has been keeping a close eye on the ongoing Ashes series as he is currently representing the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League (BBL).
While England have already lost the Ashes, Willey admitted that all the off-field incidents that have plagued them have been blown out of proportion.
“I think it’s been massively overcooked by the press,” he said. “It’s a shame really because, ultimately, they’re guys representing their country and want to do well and perform.
“So, it’s a shame the distractions are about off-field stuff which at times has been absolutely nothing, they’re making a story out of rubbish really.
“I think they’re pretty happy to close out the noise really. They’re a tight bunch, which is great.
“In the past, they’ve probably not been so tight so I think that’s really important, particularly when things aren’t going quite as well as they’d like on the field. Then the extra noise off the field doesn’t help either so they’ll just shut it off and focus on the task in hand.
“It’s a long winter for the guys – I think they’ve been out here six weeks already and some guys won’t return to the UK until April. So I think it’s unreasonable for anybody to think they shouldn’t be allowed to let their hair down at some stage. But the guys will just shut it off and get on with the cricket.”