Dan Lawrence ready to put Ashes frustration aside and press case in West Indies

Dan Lawrence admits he was frustrated not to get a chance to help England’s faltering batting in the Ashes but is ready to make up for lost time in the West Indies.

Despite repeated failures to post competitive totals in the 4-0 thrashing Down Under, Lawrence was restricted to net duty and ferrying drinks for the entire trip.

But while others played their way out of contention in Australia, his untarnished winter placed him in pole position for this month’s three-match series in the Caribbean.

His selection ahead of Ollie Pope for the warm-up match against a CWI President’s XI suggested he will get the nod for next week’s opener and his lively knock of 83 on a sleepy pitch effectively sealed the deal.

The Essex batter hit 46 on the first evening in Antigua and added another 37 in good time on the second morning and looked set for a century until he nicked the best ball of the day from Colin Archibald.

He was the fourth Englishman to pass 50 in the match and a fifth, Jonny Bairstow, went all the way with an undefeated 106 in a declaration total of 466 for six. The hosts responded with 48 for two before stumps and, for Lawrence, it has already been a welcome return to the middle.

“That was my first competitive bat since the end of the English summer so it was just nice to spend a couple of hours at the crease,” he said.

“It was a nice feeling to score some runs. I’d obviously love to play in the first Test, that’s my number one priority. It was a bit of a frustrating time for me in Australia not playing but that’s life.

It's obviously not been easy, it was tricky not being able to try and help the boys when they were having a pretty tough time- Dan Lawrence

“It’s obviously not been easy, it was tricky not being able to try