Ed Barnard admits he is relishing the prospect of playing for England Lions in the Tri-Series final against India A at the Kia Oval on Monday.
The Worcestershire all-rounder had a day off yesterday (Friday) after making his Lions debut in the group matches against India A at Leicester and West Indies A at Northampton.
Barnard impressed at Leicester despite the Lions being beaten in being his side’s most economical bowler – 2-51 from 10 overs – and scoring a quickfire 31.
It followed on from Barnard’s superb performance with the ball – nine wickets including seven players dismissed for ducks – in the win over Lancashire.
The Lions raced to a nine wicket win over West Indies A on Thursday which meant Barnard was not required at the crease after sending down three overs earlier in the day.
Barnard said: “I’m really excited about having the chance to play in a final – if selected – especially at a nice ground like The Oval with hopefully a few people watching.
“India (A) will provide a really good test. I really enjoyed the first game and it’s good to test yourself at that level, playing good players from around the world.
“It went well for me personally with a couple of wickets and it was nice to get in and show what I can do with the bat although we couldn’t quite get over the line.”
Barnard watched the finale of Worcestershire’s nail-biting draw with Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge and the football World Cup.
He said: “I was watching the live stream of the cricket and England’s World Cup match with Belgium.
“It was a tremendous performance by the lads on the final day to earn a draw and everyone saw a superb knock from Clarkey (Joe Clarke).
“Those extra five points for a draw could prove vital in the final analysis and kept us within touching distance of the teams above us.”
The Lions are back training tomorrow (Sunday) after topping the group with three wins in four matches.
