Sonny Baker vowed to stay true to himself on his Test debut and walked away with two big wickets to open his account for England.
Baker endured a difficult introduction to international cricket, taking nought for 76 on his ODI bow against South Africa last September before drawing another expensive blank in his first T20 appearance in Ireland later that month.
The second Rothesay Test against New Zealand provided the 23-year-old with a chance to make it third time lucky and he responded by removing the dangerous duo of Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell on day one at the Kia Oval.
The Hampshire seamer took two for 63 as the tourists posted 291 for seven, getting his rewards for embracing his own extravagant personality after his more subdued appearances with the white ball in hand.
“I’m buzzing. It felt awesome, could you tell?” said Baker, who was a bundle of energy throughout the day’s play.
“Body language is a massive thing, if I’m not smiling and not puffing my chest out how I normally would, you start to feel nervous rather than excited.
“I made a big commitment to myself about how I want to be. That’s me, so I might as well be authentic. That’s just how I am.
“I’m so thankful to have a proper debut that’s reflective of where I’m at. I felt I wasn’t really being myself (previously), if the ball went through to the keeper I was just like, ‘thank goodness it’s not been hit for a boundary’.
“I’m the biggest ‘carry on’ ever, so surely I should just get stuck in. It’s ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’; when the ball beats the bat I’m super excited so there’s a long follow through every time that happens.”
Baker admitted to a case of pre-show tension, adding: “Last night I was struggling to eat and, as a fast bowler, fuelling is obviously super important. In the morning I felt the anxiety build-up in the stomach.
“I was trying to play cards with the guys on the bus to take my mind off the gravity of the situation. I was pretty nervous going into the day but once you get into the warm-up everything just goes away.
“It seems they (the crowd) have taken to me pretty nicely and I’m pretty grateful, that’s for sure.”
Baker was one of three debutants on parade, joining Somerset wicketkeeper James Rew and Essex batter Jordan Cox. The trio’s arrival came against the backdrop of the ongoing uncertainty over absent captain Ben Stokes, an issue that allowed them to fly under the radar in the build-up as attention focused on the all-rounder’s future.
“The lads have really tried to put that behind us and just say, ‘we’ve got to deal with the situation as it is’. From a nerves point of view it’s not been too bad in terms of having an impact on us. It’s been negligible to be honest.”
