Samit Patel ready for a recall after T20 Blast triumph

England all-rounder Samit Patel believes he is ready to make a comeback into the national side with Ashes around the corner. He made a match winning contribution last night for Nottinghamshire in the NatWest T20 blast final. He has been in excellent form and was consistent right through the tournament.

Patel was key for his team on the finals’ day at Edgbaston as they first got better of Hampshire and then Warwickshire to win the trophy. Coming in at 30/3 in the final, Patel scored a match-winning 64 off 42 deliveries to help his team post a hefty total on the board. He was awarded Man of the Match for the final as well.

Losing the spot from the side hurt

The 32-year-old admitted that losing the spot from the national side did hurt him. He also stressed on the fact that he loves playing for England and the England T-shirt means a lot to him. Patel believed that his consistency with both bat and ball might have satisfied the selectors and is hoping for a recall with the Ashes just a couple of months away.

“I love playing for England. It means the utmost to me. I don’t think that I’ve let them down when I’ve pulled on an England shirt. The selectors haven’t spoken to me since the South Africa trip that I went on and didn’t play,” he said after the finals’ day.

“And yes, that has hurt. I’m not going to lie to you, especially, in the white-ball format. I’m an ambitious player. You shouldn’t play for Notts if you don’t want to play for England in my opinion. Putting on that England shirt… it means everything to me,” the sturdy cricketer added when asked about being out of the England team.

The all-rounder also said that he would be disappointed if his performances are overlooked yet again. “I have thought about picking up the phone, but there’s only one winner there. It won’t go down well if I pick up the phone. The only way I can get back in is by putting in performances like today. I’d be disappointed if they didn’t watch that. It should have put my name back in the shop window,” he continued.

Samit Patel felt he is more confident than ever these days and knows his game more than ever. “I know my game much more now. I am a different player. The tempo of my batting has improved this year. Class will always show. Don’t even count me out of Test cricket. I know I’m ready. If the selectors ring me, I’m ready,” the Man of the final concluded.