Dan Lawrence: from cricket-mad kid to England’s new Test opener

The batter’s former youth coach is in no doubt that Lawrence has the dedication and self-belief to succeed

Dan Lawrence, England’s newest Test opener, will roll into action at Old Traffordon Wednesday, more than two years since the last of his 11 Tests. Barry Hyam has been keeping an eye on him since he turned up on the Essex age-group pathway as an under-11, the cricket-obsessed son of the Chingford groundsman, who lived in a flat above the ground and liked to doodle before he went out to bat.

It wasn’t until Lawrence got a little older that he started to stand out. “At a young age, you can see the batting talent and skill, but you can’t immediately see who is going to make it,” Hyam says.

“It is not until you can see the application and dedication players put in that things become clearer. One of the biggest things with Dan as he started to come through into second- and first-team cricket was that confidence and belief in his ability.

“Ultimately, really deep down, that belief comes from within, but we like to think a small part is the environment we set up, the playing without restraint we try to encourage in our young players.

“He is such a lovely nice lad, but just had that really strong self-belief. It doesn’t come across in an arrogant way, he just believes he has the ability to adapt to any situation.”

That enviable self-belief was clear when, aged 17, Lawrence scored a hundred in his second first-class game, bashing 161 against Surrey, where he now plays, at the Oval, becoming the third-youngest person to hit a Championship century. It was there again when he flamed five consecutive sixes off a Shoaib Bashir over in the Championship in June. And bubbles away as he tackles his newest assignment, opening against Sri Lanka, shoe-horned into position because of Zak Crawley’s finger injury and England’s desire to get the young man with the Bazball spirit into the XI.

“I haven’t done it for a while,” he says. “But I’m really excited to get out there with Ducky [Ben Duckett] and hopefully put on a show.”

Now the Essex Academy director and second-team head coach, Hyam’s career shadowed Lawrence’s for a while, head coach of the emerging player programme Lawrence joined at under 14, then taking over the second team as Lawrence started to find a footing there. He has no doubts Lawrence will be able to adjust to the new role. And it won’t be for the first time.

“In the early stages of his second-team career we encouraged him to open the batting as often as he could because then he got to play the better bowlers and against the newer ball,” Hyam says. “Then, when he started to play in the Essex team, Alastair Cook and Nick Browne were in position and that opportunity wasn’t there for him to open.

“He became a real strength in that middle-order and we built around him. But I strongly believe he can adapt again. He’ll do it in his own way. After all, when batting at three or four, he will have had times throughout his career when he has had to come in early and face a new ball.”

When Lawrence left Chelmsford at the end of 2023 to move to the Oval, the sighs of disappointment from Essex fans could be picked up on the live stream, but he didn’t leave them without a final show of fireworks – three hundreds including a beast of an innings at Blackpool against Lancashire that had spectators scattering for safety.

The move has been a successful one for both parties. Essex are happy with his replacement, Jordan Cox, and Lawrence has bolstered the already star-stuffed Surrey lineup, averaging more than 50 in the Championship and being set free to bowl his egg-whisk off-breaks, taking 15 wickets.

It is an action Lawrence sometimes squirms at when he sees it. “It feels completely normal to me,” he says. “Then, when I watch it back, it could be quite tough to watch sometimes, but what comes out of the hand is generally pretty good and that’s all I focus on.”

“He always fancied himself as a good bowler,” says Hyam, “and even though he has a very unconventional action, he gets lots of spin and shape on the ball. Over the last few years he has added consistency to his bowling.

“His batting has developed, too. He’s had to adapt his technique a little bit, having been exposed to international cricket. There is slightly less movement , he is more still and more balanced, and reaps the rewards.”

Hyam will be keeping a close eye on events at Old Trafford. “As coaches we spend a lot of time with kids coming through the system and we follow their progress closely, even when they move on. Anyone that knows Dan knows he comes from a really good place, he’s a very caring and considerate young man.” As well as a talented one, who has had to wait patiently at the door for another chance.

Quote of the week

“There’s no place like home and playing in front of your home crowd is the best feeling that will ever happen to anyone playing in international cricket.” Shamar Joseph after his five for 33 in front of his mum, dad and siblings in his first international match at home, in Guyana. The spell helped to bowl South Africa out for 160 in the first innings of the second Test.

Repair and reuse

A cricketer’s deftness with needle and thread was one of a few eyebrow-raising results that emerged from the latest batch of research done into cricket gear by the Centre for Sustainable Design, under the innovative leadership of Prof Martin Charter.

Researchers surveyed more than 1,600 recreational cricketers, to try to understand attitudes towards sustainability and the reuse and repair of cricket equipment. It emerged that not only did respondents have a high level of interest in learning how to repair or refurnish their gear, but that they were already doing so – with 66% of respondents to one part of the survey (548 replies) saying they had either a basic or intermediate level of sewing experience.

Respondents not only had a go at repairing their bats, but also gloves and pads. There was also a high level of interest in using equipment made from vegan leather (a faux leather made either from plant-based fibres such as cork, cactus or pineapple leaves or synthetic, petroleum-based materials such as PVC).

The biggest barriers to reusing and repairing appeared to be possible stigma in using patched-up equipment and hygiene considerations, as well as worries over the practicality and cost of sending something off to be mended by a local repairer.

“The finding that such a large percentage of respondents in all four surveys showed a willingness to purchase and use gear made of plant-based vegan leather was perhaps surprising, given the traditional nature of the sport and the large percentage of respondents being male,” said Prof Charter. “We were similarly surprised at the high level of interest shown in of R&R of kit.”

“I have no doubt there will be less waste of cricket gear, provided that affordable more reuse, repair, and refurbishment services and schemes are made available,” Charter went on. “As for plant-based vegan leather cricket gear, watch this space.”

Still want more?

Sri Lanka are not the Test force they once were, but can still pose England a challenge in the upcoming series, writes Mark Ramprakash.

The World Cricketers’ Association has announced a review into a global schedule it describes as “broken and unsustainable” and “confusing and chaotic”.

And Somerset are set to face Glamorgan in the One-Day Cup final; here’s Gary Naylor with the latest talking points from the competition.

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