PCA PRESS RELEASE
Five years on, Adam Lyth reflects on his journey in and out of the England set-up for issue 27 of Beyond the Boundaries.
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“It was a summer that I will never forget. To win my first Championship for Yorkshire in 2014 was incredible and that was the year I needed to push my case forward for international honours.
“The cricket that the whole squad played was the best I have ever seen. Personally, I scored six hundreds, including two doubles in just short of 1,500 Championship runs and went on to win the NatWest PCA Men’s Player of the Year.
“That was a springboard to my lifetime ambition of opening the batting for England. I made my debut against New Zealand at Lord’s in the opening Test of the summer in 2015 and followed that up with my maiden Test century at Headingley one week later.
“I brought three figures up with a slog sweep for four and the roar from the Western Terrace made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It still does, even now.
“What followed in the Ashes was a little bit of a blur, I wish I would have taken it in a bit more than I probably did. What an unbelievable summer. Stuart Broad’s spell of 8-15 at Trent Bridge has to be the standout moment. To be walking out before Lunch on day one with the bat in my hand was just surreal.
“That set the platform for us to regain the Ashes.
“Mark Wood took the last wicket at Trent Bridge and it was just party time. Looking back now, I just wish I’d have made a couple of scores. It was frustrating but Australia bowled outstandingly well at me and I played three or four shots which, when you look back, I wish I didn’t play.
"Australia bowled outstandingly well at me and I played three or four shots which, when you look back, I wish I didn’t play."
ADAM LYTH
“Things are magnified in international cricket but I was disappointed personally with the way I went. If I had a couple of scores I would potentially have gone on the UAE tour where the wickets were a little friendlier to bat on and then you never know, I may never have looked back.
“Alastair Cook called me to say I had been left out but I didn’t receive any calls from the selectors. I knew if I didn’t score runs at the Oval I’d be struggling. I just had a vibe that I wouldn’t be going.
“At the highest level you generally don’t get that phone call or arm around the shoulder that often. Maybe it would have been nice to have a call to say where I needed to improve but I knew what I needed to do. I needed to go back to Yorkshire and score big runs.
“I would love to wear the Three Lions on my chest again, but if not I can always say I scored a hundred facing two of the best opening bowlers in the world at the time which proved to myself I was good enough, and I went on to win the Ashes. Nobody can ever take that away from me.”
Catch up on issue 27 of Beyond the Boundaries below:
