Proud Jack Leach reflects on personal best knock: "Nervous Nineties is definitely a thing"

SAM MORSHEAD AT LORD'S: Leach had played in four overseas Tests prior to making his home bow, meaning that his plane-shy father Simon had not seen him in action for England. That was meant to change today, before the weather intervened...

Scorecard | Talking Points | Sam Morshead

Jack Leach has accepted the reality of the Nervous Nineties after enduring the first such experience of his career on the second day of England’s Test against Ireland at Lord’s.

Leach showed the rest of his teammates how to bat at the home of cricket by compiling a personal-best 92 in his role as nightwatchman, his innings spread across 220 minutes and 162 balls.

On the hottest day of the year in the capital, with temperatures topping 35 degrees Celsius, the Somerset spinner battled on manfully despite suffering from cramp - and having his glasses routinely steam up - to give England a chance of grasping victory from the jaws of defeat following their dismal 85 all out in the first innings on Wednesday.

He could not complete what would have been a remarkable century, however, edging to second slip eight runs short. Afterwards, Leach cut a disappointed but proud figure.

“I can’t believe it really,” he said. “I just went out to try to do a job for the team and try to soak up some balls, and make it easier for the guys coming in behind me - try to build some partnerships and see what happened. It probably went a little bit further than I thought it would.

“I know now. Nervous Nineties is definitely a thing. You think ‘oh, I’m only two shots away’ and I was having some weird thoughts. It was hot as well and I was tired, I had cramp in my forearm and my quad at lunchtime. Trying to bring it back to the next ball was how I tried to deal with those things. 

^{Jack Leach made 92 against Ireland}

“I was telling myself not to think about it, which made me think about it.

“I’ll learn from that, if I get the chance.”

Leach’s performance was made all the more unlikely by both the fact that his previous career best was just 66, and that he had failed to reach double figures with the bat all season.

His confidence took a knock last year, when he was struck on the head by Surrey’s Morne Morkel, forcing one of the lenses from his glasses and leaving him nursing a concussion.

That incident came in his first game back after recovering from a broken thumb - the injury which ultimately delayed his home Test debut by 12 months - and had an undoubted impact on his form.

“That was a tough point and probably has had a knock-on effect on my batting,” he said.

“Slowly, I’ve worked hard on that and I’m slowly feeling a lot more comfortable. It was nice to thank Boyd Rankin, someone who gets a lot of bounce, and feel comfortable with that.”

Leach had played in four overseas Tests prior to making his home bow this week, meaning that his plane-shy father Simon had not seen him in action for England.

That was meant to change today, with his dad originally due to attend. Before the weather intervened.

“He was going to come today but he saw the weather forecast and he said it was too hot,” Leach revealed. 

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“He doesn’t have Sky so I gave him my house key and he went over. I think he has been at mine watching it the whole time.

“I don’t think it would have been a good place for him to be today, he could have died. It was best he stayed at home in the cool and watched it there.”

Wherever Leach Senior was, he would have been incredibly proud of his son. With the exception of Jason Roy and to an extent Sam Curran, no other England batsman looked even mildly comfortable at the wicket.

On Friday, it will be up to the bowlers to make up for those struggles, as they defend a relatively modest target - England will resume 181 ahead with one wicket remaining and their No.10 and 11 at the crease.

“Tomorrow is a big day for the whole team,” Leach said. 

“We’re going to have to bowl really well as a unit and I’m looking forward to bowling. Yesterday I didn’t bowl well, I felt nervous. First time out in front of a home crowd - a Lord’s full house. I hold my hand up, I didn’t get that right. I feel like this innings has given me confidence and I’ll take that confidence into my bowling.

“There’s a bit of rough and the wicket is wearing, so I feel I have my part to play tomorrow.”

If it’s anything like the part Leach had to play today, England will be well set.