Back in late 2019, Somerset’s Lewis Gregory was given an unenviable task: to bat at No 7 in England’s Twenty20 team. In a five-match series against New Zealand he batted just three times. When he got to the crease, time was limited, risks required, the end product a tally of 21 runs from 19 balls for three dismissals.
As a sixth bowler, he was required for just four overs, used across two matches. He played another handful of internationals in the following two years before returning to the shires. It’s a hard, brutal, perhaps even slightly lonely existence down at seven.
