“If that ship was ever in the harbour, it’s definitely sailed now,” Bamber told Cricinfo at the Toyota Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) Awards, when asked if he hopes to feature in an England Lions squad this winter. “What I’m thinking of is how I can contribute next year for Warwickshire, and try to help us continue to be successful moving forward. That’s really what makes me a bit nervous and excited.”
Bamber’s success at Warwickshire owes to hard work, resilience and determination. He is not blessed with exceptional physical attributes – either height or pace – but played all 14 Championship matches and bowled more overs than anyone else in the country.
“There’s definitely a role for his sort of bowler. He doesn’t miss. He’s as skilful as anyone around. I think if there’s a gap for him, he would definitely do a great job. He’s very humble and says that ship has sailed, but I don’t agree.”
Bamber self-effacingly described himself as an “average cricketer” after taking match figures of 9 for 94 in Warwickshire’s title-clinching win over Leicestershire last week, but joked that he has enjoyed the attention since lifting the trophy.
“I’ve got a massive ego!” he said, laughing. “It’s always nice for people to say nice stuff about you, of course. I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t the truth. I don’t always know how to deal with it very well. You want, always, to contribute to the team. You want to impact the game and help your team move forward and impact the game in key moments.
“If you reflect on a number, it’s really the details of that when you feel like there’s been moments where you might have helped the group move towards a collective goal. They’re probably the most pleasing [achievements] for me personally, but it’s obviously a nice thing to think that you might have contributed significantly yourself.”
It has often been suggested that the winners of the Championship should play the winners of Australia’s Sheffield Shield in a friendly match at the start of one season and the end of another. While logistically challenging given how little time there is between the two competitions, Barnard said he would “love” the opportunity to face an Australian state side.
“I’ve been over and played a few years of grade cricket, and you get the usual jibes from them over there that first-class cricket isn’t good enough over here,” he said. “It’d be nice to test ourselves… I know there’s obviously a very strong standard of cricket over there.
“If the opportunity ever arose, I’m sure we’d be keen to give it a go… It’s hard, isn’t it? The schedule at the minute is so manic. There seems to be too many leagues popping up here, there and everywhere. If you could get it somewhere in between the two summers, I’m sure people would be keen – but I’m not sure that’s for me to say.”
