The summer was going Sonny Baker’s way. The 22-year-old quick had made his County Championship debut, taken a couple of five-fers for Hampshire, bowled with venom in the Hundred and merited a call-up to England’s one-day international squad for South Africa’s visit. It was the next logical step.
Aiden Markram arrived with the takedown, the opener launching into the debutant at Headingley in the series opener. Baker returned figures of none for 76 from seven overs as South Africa hunted down 132 with 175 balls to spare. Some perspective was offered by his teammates. “All of the guys after were like: ‘Mate, defending 130, come on: unless we got five [wickets] in the powerplay, we were never really in it,’” says Baker. “Up the hill at Headingley can be tough sometimes. Markram fancied a piece and got a few away and he’s a very, very good player.
“We had to have really aggressive fields and then anytime the ball beats anyone inside the ring in the off-side, it’s four. From a figures point of view, it was not exactly how I’d planned my debut going, but not all good experiences are enjoyable experiences.
“At the time, I was thinking: ‘Fifteen an over for my first three or four overs is not what I had in mind.’ But in the long run, it’ll be a good thing.”
Baker is an upbeat character and likes to keep notes on his bowling plans, listing down ground dimensions, different grips, analysis on batters. “I try to be objective when I’m doing reviews and I don’t mind being detail-oriented,” he says. “[Harry Brook] was chatting to me after that and said: ‘What did you write down in your notebook after that game?’ I just said: ‘Shit happens.’
“It was not the best I’ve bowled, but there’s days where I’ve bowled a lot worse than that and got four for not very many.
“[Jofra Archer] came over from cover to mid-off and he was like: ‘How’s your heart rate, bud?’ And I was like: ‘It’s fine.’ From an emotional management point of view, I felt OK at the time, all things considered.
“There was so much going on that I didn’t really have time to register: ‘Oh no, this is really not going how I wanted it to.’ It was like, well, I’ve just got to get on with it and deal with it.”
Baker has since appeared at Blast Finals Day, where Hampshire lost to his former club, Somerset, and would have made his England T20 bow against Ireland on Friday had rain not forced an abandonment.
He is “desperate” to play on Sunday, the final contest in the three-match series, which England lead. “Mainly excitement,” he says when asked how he feels, hopeful of a more enjoyable debut this time round.
