England getting Gay at 'peak of power' - Campbell
Durham head coach Ryan Campbell says England will get batter Emilio Gay at the top of his game with the opener in line to make his Test debut next month.
Emilio Gay has seven hundreds for Durham since joining from Northants in 2024 [Getty Images] England are getting Emilio Gay at the "peak of his power", according to his Durham head coach Ryan Campbell. Gay was named in England's Test squad for the first time this week and is in line to make his debut in the first Test with New Zealand at Lord's on 4 June. The left-hander, 26, has scored 552 runs in eight innings this season, including three centuries, as he looks to have won the race to partner Ben Duckett at the top of the order.
"Emilio is at the peak of his power right now," Campbell told BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra. "If you're ever going to succeed or pick a guy on the way up, England have done that by selecting him. " Gay was named on the England Lions tour to Australia last winter to get on the radar, and he has impressed with how he has started the county season.
His efforts included a match-winning 159 not out to beat Lancashire last month and other scores of 129 and 128. And with established opener Zak Crawley struggling to make runs for Kent, Gay has taken his chance, and even though he has batted at three for his county, he is an opener by trade. Gay has a strong work ethic towards practice and Campbell believes England supporters not familiar with his batting will like what they see with the ex-Northants player.
"What you are going to get is a traditional, stylish opening batter," said the Australian. "Everyone has different ways to look at their game nowadays. Some are quite brutal when they come to hitting fours and sixes.