The phrase “can’t wait,” comes up frequently when talking to Dom Bess. At least six times in a 20-minute conversation.
He “can’t wait” for the Test series in Sri Lanka to start; he “can’t wait” to bowl on more responsive wickets and, most of all he “can’t wait” to renew his spin-bowling partnership with former Somerset teammate, Jack Leach.
That’s understandable. After a summer spent playing a supporting role on England’s green and pleasant land – well, pleasant if you’re a seam bowler – he is now facing the prospect of six successive Tests in Asia. The understudy is about to promoted to top billing. Well, top-billing alongside the man who has been competing for a place with him for club and country over much of the last three or four years.
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It’s not hard to see what the England management see in Bess. He is an excellent fielder, he is a good enough batsman to have made a half-century on Test debut and he gives…