Richard Spiller caught up with Surrey wicketkeeper batter Ben Foakes ahead of Thursday’s season opener
Staying calm amid a frenzy has become a familiar role for Ben Foakes.
Foakes has learned to deal with it since his return to the national side 12 months ago and the start of an Ashes summer is greeted with the same gentle smile and moderate tone.
Foakes – along with Ollie Pope, also on a central contract – is looking forward to Surrey opening their defence of the LV County Championship title at Emirates Old Trafford. Both underlined their commitment to the county by turning down the offer of a rest following last summer’s Test series against South Africa to help Surrey secure the crown last September, beating Yorkshire by 10 wickets at the Kia Oval to launch a prolonged set of celebrations.
It was all the more fitting given Foakes had played a prime role in securing a crucial victory when the sides had met at Scarborough two months earlier.
His unbeaten 86 in the first innings ensured Surrey trailed by only six runs in the first innings after conceding 521. He was back at the crease for the victory chase on the final afternoon, making another unbeaten 42 and with Aaron Hardie (40no) in carving out a partnership of 81 which secured success by four wickets in the final over.
His all-round contributions were key to a successful home season for both county and country in a summer which also saw him having to shake off what he admitted was a “horrible” dose of Covid along the way.
Foakes acknowledges that the encouragement of England coach Brendon McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes has had a positive effect on his batting, even though his role with England – coming in at number seven and having to shepherd the tail – differs from his role higher up the order for Surrey.
“Batting at number seven and with the style we play [for England], you might not get too long to bat.
“My training over the past few years, trying to get into the England team, is to develop a technique that’s solid and old school, whereas there’s different elements to batting at seven, so they’re the things I’ve tried to work on. Just having that experience, I think you naturally learn and you can improve in those situations.”
That the focus of questions at Surrey’s media day this week was on Foakes’s batting rather than his sublime glovework – the main reason why he is widely regarded among the best wicketkeepers in the world – underlines the modern realities of cricket.
Few specialist batsmen would have much to worry about with 113no and two fifties – plus the 35 which so nearly won the Wellington Test – inside his last seven innings but once again speculation is bubbling that Foakes might miss the Ashes if Jonny Bairstow returns.
How is he dealing with it? All is equanimity, on the surface at least: “There’s just no benefit for me concerning myself with that.
“As a sportsman, that’s one of the things you have to deal with – external stuff.
“That’s where you get blurred lines sometimes, when external noise comes from nowhere. But I’ve found by doing things like staying off social media, not checking CricInfo during series and things like that, it just allows me to be more focused on whatever my job is that day.
“It’s just a distraction you don’t need. It can muddle your thinking. So nowadays I just ignore it.”
But even Foakes, who at 30 has played 20 Tests when it could have been double that, cannot resist a sneaky look at what lies ahead this summer. Not least because he has yet to face Australia and the Ashes series comes to a climax at the Kia Oval in late July: “It’s the Ashes, so you obviously think about it, but because I try to take it day by day, I am always prepping to see what I need to be ready.
“Whatever happens, happens.”
