Wright enjoying his role in the team by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:	LJ Wright
Event:	Australia in British Isles 2009

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DateLine: 9th September 2009

 

Luke Wright has assumed the responsibility for adding middle-order firepower in the absence of England's most destructive one-day batsmen, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, both of whom are injured.

 

While England have struggled as a unit in the opening two games of the NatWest Series, losing both, Wright has sparkled briefly with the bat, hitting 38 off 27 balls at the Brit Oval and 20 off 19 at Lord's.

 

Having been tried as an opener with limited success, Wright is enjoying a more familiar role lower down the order, but insists he would play the same way regardless.

 

"I have been fortunate in that I've always been told to go out and play my natural game in one-day cricket - to go out, strike the ball and have a lot of intent - so from my point of view it doesn't really matter if I am up the top or down the order," he said.

 

He is equally unperturbed by the greater expectations placed on him as Pietersen and Flintoff recover from Achilles and knee operations respectively.

 

"It is not something that has put extra pressure on me," Wright added. "You are always going to miss those guys, as we have seen all summer.

 

"As soon as you take those guys out of any team you are going to miss them. I am not sure it is going to add any pressure on me or not. I will just play the way I play and hope it comes off well."

 

Wright's immediate concern is preventing England from going down 0-3 in the series, with four matches to play - which is something England obviously want to avoid.

 

"It's not the end if we don't win - we still have four more games after that," he said. "But you don't want to leave it too late and give yourself too much to do. So we desperately want to win."