The magnitude of his happiness was so big that new England opener Emilio Gay decided to drive more than 300km in his car to tell his parents that when England line up for the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s early next month, he will open the innings alongside Ben Duckett.
26-year-old Gay has Italian as well as Caribbean heritage. His mother is Italian, while the father’s family has its roots in Grenada. Born in Bedford, and thus he is a British citizen. Gay has represented Italy in some T20Is and he could have also played for the West Indies like Gordon Greenidge back in the day, but he chose the land of his birth.
The left-handed batsman recalls new England selector Marcus North‘s call the other day. “He actually kind of woke me up,” Gay told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“I didn’t really want to ring them, because we’ve been through so much. I thought I’ve got to be there to tell them. I drove back to Bedford.
“My brother videoed it and it was a moment I’ll never forget. It was a really good day.”
Gays killed two birds with one stone. Today, Durham, his county side, is playing Kent and by deciding to going to Bedford by car, he also covered some serious distance for the match.
Three centuries this season!
Gay, a opener by trade but has batted at No.3 this season for Durham, is not under pressure by the weight of expectations. He will replace Zak Crawley but the fact that fans are expecting him to deliver the goods straight away is not something bogging him down. Gay said: “I’ve really enjoyed it. I just see it as such a positive thing.
“People are talking about you in a positive way of potentially playing for England – I don’t really see that as negative. People would maybe try to shut it out, but I don’t actively look for it.
“I try to really embrace it and think what an opportunity I’ve got to put my name forward. I know if I play for England I’m going to get pressure and nerves, and all of that. It’s just about how you deal with it.”
Gay travelled to the West Indies during the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean and that’s where he picked up his love for the game. “I fell in love with the game through my dad’s family roots in the Caribbean,” said Gay.
“That’s how I really got into it properly at seven years old, and from there it built and built. One day I dreamed of getting called up to play for England and that day came today,” he added.
Gay comes from the same Bedford school as the legendary England opener Alastair Cook. After his Northamptonshire stint earlier, he moved to Durham last year. This county season, he has so far scored three centuries.
