Exclusive: Willey provides promise for county and country

David Willey took his Northants form into the England setup last month

Peter Willey might have had his doubts, but David soon allayed the fears of his father.

The Northants all-rounder was finally given a chance on the big stage by England last month - and he grabbed it like a routine catch in the field.

Willey, who had seen his international debut curtailed by rain in a one-day game in Ireland in May, was thrown in against New Zealand at Southampton.

He proceeded to take three wickets as an adventurous England side were edged out, but it wasn’t long before the 25-year-old was on the winning side.

He helped the hosts, who chased down 349 for seven to win at Trent Bridge in the following match, turn the tide as they claimed a 3-2 series success.

And Willey was also influential on his international T20 debut, claiming three for 22 in 2.2 overs as the Black Caps were outgunned at Old Trafford.

He has since returned to Northants with memories of matches that captured the imagination of the English cricket public fresh in the mind.

And Willey can now reflect on a whirlwind few weeks, which had begun with his biggest inspiration questioning where he would fit into the England setup.

Peter Willey, a tough, fearless all-rounder, who represented Northants and England, was worried his son might not get a look-in in the bowling department.

“It’s funny because when the series started my dad said “good luck, I’m not sure how much you’ll play, I’m not sure where you’ll bowl and you might have to put your helmet on,” David explained.

“He obviously wasn’t backing me too much, which is always good, but he was quite proud that I was following in his footsteps.

“He was very nervous and just wants me to do well.

“It was very special to have my mum and dad at the majority of the games.”

Peter Willey played 26 Tests and the same amount of ODIs for England as well as starring for Northants.

And the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree, with David now in position to make a real name for himself in the game.

“My father played for Northants and as a kid it was my dream to follow in his footsteps and play for the County,” David said.

“It doesn’t seem like five minutes since I walked out at Leicester on my debut for Northants and now I’m talking about a series I’ve played for England. It’s a dream come true.

“As a kid I always wanted to follow my dad and to do that is special for me and hopefully special for my friends and family.

“It’s just the start and the quality of the cricket and how much I enjoyed just made it even better.”

Willey’s belligerent approach to the game fitted perfectly into what felt like a fresh, enrapturing England.

“I like to play my cricket aggressively with bat and ball,” he said.

“At times it’s not going to work and not going to go the way you want it to, but if you keep practicing that way then more often than not you’re going to get good results.

“It was a nice time to come into the environment because that’s the style of cricket they’re promoting.

“It’s the way I like to play and England will continue to play that way.

“The coaches just told us to go out and do exactly what we were doing for our counties. They told us to always take the aggressive option.

“I don’t think they expected it to gel so quickly, they just wanted us to be positive and to back ourselves.

“You can see from the scores and quality of the matches that that’s exactly what the guys did. It was just fantastic to watch.

“It was the style New Zealand have played and to a certain exent we beat them at their own game.

“It was exciting to watch and be involved in.”

Willey was desperate to bring the same captivating style of cricket back to the County Ground as he returned on the crest of a wave.

But he was soon hit by a freak injury, colliding with Worcestershire Rapids bowler Jack Shantry while batting for Northants in a T20 game at New Road.

Willey went on to hit 31 in the narrow win, but his first game back at his county was to cost him as a scan revealed he would need until the end of July to recover from an ankle ligament injury.

“To be involved with that England experience was honourable and to come back to the first game at Northants and do that is disappointing, but I’m trying to look at the positives,” he said.