"He's got a bit of pace on him but he's also got some good tricks up his sleeve as well"; stand-in head coach Graham Thorpe says George Garton is in contention to make his England debut in the third ODI against Sri Lanka; watch from 10.30am, Sunday on Sky Sports Cricket
Friday 2 July 2021 13:59, UK
George Garton could make his England debut in the third one-day international against Sri Lanka on Sunday and stand-in head coach Graham Thorpe says the left-arm seamer has "some good tricks up his sleeve".
With a series victory already secured thanks to comprehensive wins at Durham and The Kia Oval, England are set to make changes for the game in Bristol although Thorpe confirmed that the final decision on how many and who might come in had not been made.
24-year-old Sussex bowler Garton is still waiting for a first international cap but has been on England's radar for some time having featured for England Lions as well as being brought into the senior squad as cover during the 2017/18 Ashes.
"We've seen him play in some of the T20 games so we've seen his performances," Thorpe told reporters.
"We know he's got a bit of pace on him but he's also got some good tricks up his sleeve as well.
"It's one thing seeing it at a county level but it is another stepping up and doing it in an international match. It'll be interesting and we'll have discussions over whether we can get him into the side down at Bristol.
"Like a lot of the players nowadays he's got various slower balls, he's got a bit of pace so he's got a good bouncer on him. It's the ability to deliver the accuracy of those variations as well, which is so important. That's the exciting part of seeing and giving an opportunity to a younger player."
While Garton's inclusion would bring plenty of intrigue in what has been a rather one-sided contest, both in the IT20s and ODIs, so far, Thorpe has also been pleased to see England's more recognised stars perform during the first two one-dayers.
"We've got options," he added. "We're travelling down to Bristol and we'll probably start those conversations off but, as [Eoin Morgan] said last night in his interview, we can look to make changes and whether that's bringing Chris Woakes back into the side, playing George Garton, [Liam] Livingstone obviously didn't play yesterday and Liam Dawson.
"So there are options but it's also been good to see some of the established players perform in these two matches, Jason Roy coming back yesterday and looking good, Morgan spending some time at the crease, Joe Root again just being that glue for the team.
"It's good to know that your established players are in a good place as well then that leaves you a few gaps maybe for the captain to experiment with going forward.
"Having good healthy competition keeps players on the edge."
Watch the third and final ODI between England and Sri Lanka, from Bristol, live on Sky Sports Cricket (channel 401) and Sky Sports Main Event (channel 401) from 10.30am on Sunday.
