Middlesex’s Robson eyes England opening
Middlesex opener Sam Robson hopes a repeat of last year’s blistering early-season form will put him in the frame for an England Test place.
The 24-year-old passed 650 runs by the end of May 2013 and finished the year as the third most prolific batsman in Division One of the County Championship.
His form was rewarded with a call-up to the England Lions squad over the winter, where he gave the selectors a further nudge with two well-crafted centuries.
Robson is seen by many as the favourite to open alongside England captain Alastair Cook in this summer’s Tests against Sri Lanka and India.
But the Australian-born batsman, who qualified to play for England last summer, is keen to focus on his county duties first.
Robson said: “I’ve had a good winter but I know the next couple of months is going to be important for Middlesex.
“I’ve got an important role there as an opening batsman. I know how hard this first couple of months is going to be in the county season so I’ll just do my best there and see how we go.
“If things go my way, and if I keep performing well, you never know. I feel like I’m playing quite well.
“I think there are big opportunities but you never really know what’s going to happen with selection.
“Batting can be fickle as well – if you have a few bad games you can fall off the radar.”
Robson says he is fully committed to his adopted country, having lived in London since 2008.
And he said his experience with the winter – when he also trained with the full Ashes touring party in Australia – had whetted his appetite for Test cricket.
Robson said: “It was great to score runs and to be in that environment, to see how they operate within the Lions and spend a little bit of time with the main squad in Brisbane and Perth, was great fun.
“I’m really committed to the [English] system and I’m committed to English cricket.
“The schedule at times can be tricky. But, as someone who plays mainly four-day cricket, the great strength of the English system is that there are 16 serious Championship games each summer.
“That’s what I love about county cricket, constantly playing.”
Middlesex’s bid to improve on last season’s fifth place starts on Sunday as they take on Sussex at Hove.
Robson is keen to tackle the English Spring conditions, when a swinging ball often makes opening the batting a perilous task.
He said: “Sometimes batting in April and May can be tough work but that’s cricket, you just have to get stuck in and do your best. I’m looking forward to it.
“With the Championship, getting a bit of a run is so important so we’ll be hoping to have a good start to the season and take it with us.
“We’re well aware it’ll be tough work but we’re quietly confident.”
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