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Ian Blackwell targets England recall

Ian Blackwell hopes a strong start to the domestic season can propel him back into the England reckoning after a conversation with national selector Geoff Miller

Andrew McGlashan
Andrew McGlashan
19-Mar-2010
Ian Blackwell received an encouraging phone call from Geoff Miller about his England prospects  •  Getty Images

Ian Blackwell received an encouraging phone call from Geoff Miller about his England prospects  •  Getty Images

Ian Blackwell hopes a strong start to the domestic season can propel him back into the England reckoning after a conversation with national selector Geoff Miller. Blackwell, who has one Test cap, played that last of his 34 one-day internationals in April 2006, but Miller got in touch with the Durham allrounder earlier this year to offer words of encouragement.
Blackwell enjoyed a productive 2009 season as Durham defended their Championship title, scoring 801 runs at 40.05 and taking 43 wickets and 23.53 after his move from Somerset, and it could well be his bowling that provides his route back to the top level.
Following the one-day series win against Bangladesh Andy Flower, the England coach, said he would ideally like a left-arm spinner in the squad instead of the duel offspin options of Graeme Swann and James Tredwell. With Samit Patel still under a fitness cloud and Monty Panesar unlikely to feature in limited-overs cricket it leaves the door ajar for Blackwell to earn another chance.
"I've still got ambitions to play for England and I had a brief chat with Geoff Miller about a month ago," he told Cricinfo. "They spelt out that my door isn't closed to international cricket which is nice to hear and with such a good season last year that I was deserving of a call and a meeting with Geoff."
With the World Cup being held on the subcontinent next year England will certainly want more than Swann as their slow-bowling option. Blackwell wasn't a candidate for the preliminary World Twenty20 squad following an off-season shoulder operation and has competition for a spin-bowling position from Michael Yardy, Adil Rashid and David Wainwright who were all named in the 30-man party.
For much of the 2009 campaign Blackwell played with a troublesome bowling shoulder and he had surgery in October. He is still undergoing rehab, but is confident he will be back to full fitness for the start of the county season next month and will test out the injury during Durham's pre-season trip to Abu Dhabi to play MCC in the pink ball trial match.
"First thing is I need to get my shoulder right," he said. "It still feels a bit weak, but the more I play and the more I throw things will strengthen up. Hopefully everything is good and if that's strong enough and I keep performing the way I did last year then I'm still hopeful of a recall. It's a job I think I can fulfil."
Like Patel, who has been sidelined from the England set-up since failing fitness requirements on the Lions tour of New Zealand last year, Blackwell's career has been stalled by concerns over his physique and he would still have to convince Andy Flower that he could buy into the current teams fitness philosophy. However, he believes he has developed as a player since moving counties and has relished the opportunity to take a lead role in the bowling attack.
"It was nice to be called upon as an attacking spinner instead of a defensive bowler playing on the wickets I used to at Taunton," he said. "It was more about me going at two an over rather than taking wickets, but last year I was able to have more success."
To remain in the selectors' thoughts Blackwell will need a strong season across all formats, including the new 40-over tournament which replaces the Friends Provident Trophy and means there is no 50-over domestic cricket. As someone who is aiming to break back into one-day internationals, Blackwell isn't convinced it is the best way to go.
"I think you have to try and mirror international cricket to be honest," he said. "I think a lot of players will vote for it because it's fewer overs to field and the crowds will probably welcome it, but I don't see how that will improve us in 50-over cricket on the international stage.
"I think there has to be some form of give, but whether it should be 10 overs off a competition I'm not sure. Trends are followed from English cricket and whether this is one that will perhaps go international I'm not sure."

Andrew McGlashan is assistant editor of Cricinfo