Subhayan Chakraborty in Brisbane
Shubman Gill stood still at the crease, eyeing the spot where the ball pitched and zipped past his bat, taking a slender edge during India’s net session at the Gabba on Friday, the eve of the third Test against Australia. It was the last 15 minutes of his net session, and the 25yearold had looked solid until that moment. India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel and several local net bowlers, all pacers, were bowling to Gill. Among them, one stood out. Nathan Barnwell, Surrey pacer with 8 List-A appearances and one first-class game to his name, currently in Queensland to refine his bowling during England’s winter season. Although Barnwell didn’t bowl many deliveries to Gill, perhaps only around ten, he earned praise from Morkel and Ryan Ten Doeschate for his show.
With Gill eager to face Morkel to conclude another lengthy batting session, the former South African pacer called up a few net bowlers for support. He handed the new ball to 21-year-old Barnwell, who idolises Michael Holding and Jofra Archer, after a brief chat while warming up. While Morkel bowled with a shorter run-up, Barnwell charged infull throttle. His first delivery caught Gill’s outside edge, leaving one of India’s star batters slightly stunned.
Interestingly, Morkel and Barnwell share a connection. During Morkel’s last season with Surrey in 2019, Barnwell was in the Surrey academy. Barnwell later signed his first professional contract with Surrey in 2022. Morkel remembered him, and they briefly caught up before the India nets began.
“I actually know him a bit because he played at Surrey,”Barnwell told RevSportz. “I wasn’t signed then, but I was in the academy when he was there in his last year. So, I got to learn about him back then, and it was good to catch up. That’s the first time I’ve seen him since then. So, good to catch up with him. I wasn’t really talking too much about bowling, just about what I’m doing out here, my plans, stuff like that. He’s a cool guy.”
Barnwell’s parents are from Guyana, but he was born in South London, and his allegiance is firmly with England. He has already picked up tips from Chris Jordan and Gus Atkinson and aims to carry that forward. After a couple of deliveries where he beat Gill with sheer pace and bounce, Barnwell again caught Gill’s edge a delivery later. With three edges and a couple of narrow misses against Gill, Barnwell’s performance was notable, especially since Ten Doeschate inquired about his availability for future India nets. That suggested the possibility of seeing him bowling to India’s batters again.
“It’s a great experience to bowl at a player of that calibre,” said Barnwell. “You don’t often get to do it. To have a good spell against someone who’s at the top of their game, at the top of the world, is very fun. I’m working on a few things, so it’s good to try them out against him. But he’s a great player, and I definitely want to keep watching. I’ll remember this for a long time, hopefully using it to learn and improve in the future, and maybe one day, I’ll play against him.”
Though early in his career, Barnwell aspires to play for England and dreams of featuring in the IPL.
“I love how passionate Indians are about cricket,” he said. “I follow the IPL closely, especially Rajasthan Royals. So one day, maybe, I’ll play against India and in the IPL. Fingers crossed. I wish the team well for the upcoming games here.”
Also read:
Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant return to the scene of India’s greatest Test win, while Harshit Rana and Ravindra Jadeja must wait to see if they find a place in the XI at the Gabba. Also, where will Rohit Sharma bat?
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