The summer was going Sonny Baker’s way. The 22-year-old quick had made his County Championship debut, taken a couple of five-fers for Hampshire, bowled with venom in the Hundred and merited a call-up to England’s one-day international squad for South Africa’s visit. It was the next logical step.
Aiden Markram arrived with the takedown, the opener launching into the debutant at Headingley in the series opener. Baker returned figures of none for 76 from seven overs as South Africa hunted down 132 with 175 balls to spare. Some perspective was offered by his teammates. “All of the guys after were like: ‘Mate, defending 130, come on: unless we got five [wickets] in the powerplay, we were never really in it,’” says Baker. “Up the hill at Headingley can be tough sometimes. Markram fancied a piece and got a few away and he’s a very, very good player.
