LONDON: England leg-spinner Mason Crane was confident of making the most of his unexpected call-up for the ODI tri-series including Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Crane, who last played for England in a Test match in 2018, highlighted his performances with the bat after switching his allegiance to Glamorgan.
After making his Test and T20I debuts in 2017 and 2018, injuries halted the spinners’ career and he was deprived of an opportunity for Hampshire until moving to Glamorgan in 2024.
“I’ve always believed I underperformed a bit with the bat,” Crane said on Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.
“When I moved to Glamorgan and started playing a lot more regularly, I kind of realised I had a few more shots,” he added.
Crane believed that scoring substantial scores in the county cricket had boosted his confidence and had also played an important role in improving his bowling performances.
“My confidence just grew and grew. And then this year, to get a few big scores has been amazing,” the 29-year-old shared.
“Ironically, that’s helped my bowling because I’m now bowling in matches where I probably wouldn’t be playing in to start with.”
Crane, who is yet to make ODI debut, remarked that he wants to be a consistent bowler for his side in various situations.
“I don’t want to just be a highlights reel bowler, every now and then bowl a really good ball and just live off that,” he explained.
“I pride myself on trying to play to the situations really, trying to work out how I’m going to get the most out of a wicket and get a particular guy out,” Crane continued.
Crane also mentioned the variety in his arsenal and emphasised on the importance of having more options.
“I’ve also given myself a bit more freedom, I guess, with the ball now. I try and bowl more variations, but I’m also better at bowling them now.
“It’s about sort of adding as many strings to your bow. It’s really important,” he concluded.
Crane is coming on the back of an impressive run in the County Championship, where he scalped 34 wickets across 34 matches. He was also impressive in Vitality Blast, collecting 15 wickets in 10 matches.
The ODI tri-series will commence on 18 October, Sunday at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. England will play their opening game on 20 October at the same venue against Pakistan.