I make no apologies for being ambitious
Hampshire fast bowler Sonny Baker says he makes "no apologies" for being ambitious as he prepares to kick-start his county career. The 22-year-old joined at the end of last season from Somerset and featured for his new club over the winter in the Guyana Global Super League. Baker has only played one first-class game to date and is hoping that the move to the Utilita Bowl will help him reach another level."Skill is now the main progression for me," Baker told BBC Sport."I want to keep my ball speed up and gradually develop the skills I can learn with guys like Kyle Abbott and Keith Barker around."One of my main reasons for moving here was a learning point of view, I want to progress my own game and this season should be good fun."Hampshire get their 2025 County Championship campaign under way on Friday when they host Yorkshire. Last season the south coast county finished runners up to Surrey. They last won the County Championship title in 1973.Baker is yet to play in the competition and has only made one appearance in the T20 Blast, for Somerset last summer. But he has already caught the eye of the England set-up and in February was awarded an England men's development contract. He toured with England Lions in Australia in January."Who doesn't want to play for England?" Baker added. "I'm a very ambitious guy and I make no apologies for that, selection is not in my hands and it's not really for me to say."All I can do is control what I do, get through the Championship games and hopefully impress, we'll go from there."I'm trying to take it one step at a time, I want to stay in the moment, perform for Hampshire and then whatever comes after that then fantastic."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
15 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
England will want to get value for money out of Jofra Archer
Archer has been on a full central contract for nearly six years but stress reactions in his right elbow and lower back have been chiefly responsible for his absence from Tests since winning the last of his 13 caps in February 2021. Established again in the white-ball ranks in a carefully orchestrated comeback, a spanner was thrown in the works for a Test return when Archer injured his right thumb at this year's Indian Premier League. Stuart Broad, right, admitted fielding Jofra Archer in a Test this summer is a risk (Lee Smith/PA) Out of this week's opener against India at Headingley, he has nevertheless been tipped to feature later in the five-match Test series and Broad can understand why England might roll the dice with Archer this summer. 'I'm assuming England have had him on a red-ball contract for a few years since he last made an impact,' Broad told the PA news agency. 'They'll be wanting to get some repayment out of that. 'I'm sure he'll play a part at some stage if he's fit. It will just be making sure his body is hard enough to be able to do the job. 'That is a really, really difficult question to answer because you can only really get match fit for a Test match by playing red-ball cricket. 1st Test - Headingley, June 20-24 2nd Test - Edgbaston, July 2-6 3rd Test - Lord's, July 10-14 4th Test - Emirates Old Trafford, July 23-27 5th Test - Kia Oval, July 31-August 4 'It will be a huge gamble. If we see him in whites for England this summer, there will be a lot of people chewing fingernails and praying a bone doesn't crack.' Archer's last first-class outing was four years ago but he has been pencilled in for Sussex's County Championship match against Durham on June 22 to check his readiness for Test cricket. He has shown glimpses in recent months of the dazzling 2019 World Cup and Ashes form that marked him out as a generational talent but Broad urged caution about expecting his former England team-mate to hit those heights again. 'It's impossible to know,' Broad, who will be a pundit for the series as a Sky Sports cricket expert, added. Jofra Archer has featured in white-ball cricket only for England since 2021 (John Walton/PA) 'He didn't look match fit at the Champions Trophy. He bowled three or four nice overs and then struggled. He seemed to develop more of a match intensity at the IPL, which is mentally taxing but you're only bowling four overs. 'When you come into Test match cricket and suddenly your distance is 50km over five days, it's a completely different question. 'Because he's had so many injury setbacks, any time he pulls on an England shirt, it's a massive occasion for him. He will just look to be having a big impact any time he gets on the field.' :: Watch all five England India Test matches live on Sky Sports Cricket and NOW from June 20th.
The Herald Scotland
23 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
England will want to get value for money out of Jofra Archer
Established again in the white-ball ranks in a carefully orchestrated comeback, a spanner was thrown in the works for a Test return when Archer injured his right thumb at this year's Indian Premier League. Stuart Broad, right, admitted fielding Jofra Archer in a Test this summer is a risk (Lee Smith/PA) Out of this week's opener against India at Headingley, he has nevertheless been tipped to feature later in the five-match Test series and Broad can understand why England might roll the dice with Archer this summer. 'I'm assuming England have had him on a red-ball contract for a few years since he last made an impact,' Broad told the PA news agency. 'They'll be wanting to get some repayment out of that. 'I'm sure he'll play a part at some stage if he's fit. It will just be making sure his body is hard enough to be able to do the job. 'That is a really, really difficult question to answer because you can only really get match fit for a Test match by playing red-ball cricket. 1st Test - Headingley, June 20-24 2nd Test - Edgbaston, July 2-6 3rd Test - Lord's, July 10-14 4th Test - Emirates Old Trafford, July 23-27 5th Test - Kia Oval, July 31-August 4 'It will be a huge gamble. If we see him in whites for England this summer, there will be a lot of people chewing fingernails and praying a bone doesn't crack.' Archer's last first-class outing was four years ago but he has been pencilled in for Sussex's County Championship match against Durham on June 22 to check his readiness for Test cricket. He has shown glimpses in recent months of the dazzling 2019 World Cup and Ashes form that marked him out as a generational talent but Broad urged caution about expecting his former England team-mate to hit those heights again. 'It's impossible to know,' Broad, who will be a pundit for the series as a Sky Sports cricket expert, added. Jofra Archer has featured in white-ball cricket only for England since 2021 (John Walton/PA) 'He didn't look match fit at the Champions Trophy. He bowled three or four nice overs and then struggled. He seemed to develop more of a match intensity at the IPL, which is mentally taxing but you're only bowling four overs. 'When you come into Test match cricket and suddenly your distance is 50km over five days, it's a completely different question. 'Because he's had so many injury setbacks, any time he pulls on an England shirt, it's a massive occasion for him. He will just look to be having a big impact any time he gets on the field.' :: Watch all five England India Test matches live on Sky Sports Cricket and NOW from June 20th.
Powys County Times
29 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
England will want to get value for money out of Jofra Archer
Stuart Broad believes England will want some return for their investment in Jofra Archer sooner rather than later. Archer has been on a full central contract for nearly six years but stress reactions in his right elbow and lower back have been chiefly responsible for his absence from Tests since winning the last of his 13 caps in February 2021. Established again in the white-ball ranks in a carefully orchestrated comeback, a spanner was thrown in the works for a Test return when Archer injured his right thumb at this year's Indian Premier League. Out of this week's opener against India at Headingley, he has nevertheless been tipped to feature later in the five-match Test series and Broad can understand why England might roll the dice with Archer this summer. 'I'm assuming England have had him on a red-ball contract for a few years since he last made an impact,' Broad told the PA news agency. 'They'll be wanting to get some repayment out of that. 'I'm sure he'll play a part at some stage if he's fit. It will just be making sure his body is hard enough to be able to do the job. 'That is a really, really difficult question to answer because you can only really get match fit for a Test match by playing red-ball cricket. 1st Test - Headingley, June 20-24 2nd Test - Edgbaston, July 2-6 3rd Test - Lord's, July 10-14 4th Test - Emirates Old Trafford, July 23-27 5th Test - Kia Oval, July 31-August 4 'It will be a huge gamble. If we see him in whites for England this summer, there will be a lot of people chewing fingernails and praying a bone doesn't crack.' Archer's last first-class outing was four years ago but he has been pencilled in for Sussex's County Championship match against Durham on June 22 to check his readiness for Test cricket. He has shown glimpses in recent months of the dazzling 2019 World Cup and Ashes form that marked him out as a generational talent but Broad urged caution about expecting his former England team-mate to hit those heights again. 'It's impossible to know,' Broad, who will be a pundit for the series as a Sky Sports cricket expert, added. 'He didn't look match fit at the Champions Trophy. He bowled three or four nice overs and then struggled. He seemed to develop more of a match intensity at the IPL, which is mentally taxing but you're only bowling four overs. 'When you come into Test match cricket and suddenly your distance is 50km over five days, it's a completely different question. 'Because he's had so many injury setbacks, any time he pulls on an England shirt, it's a massive occasion for him. He will just look to be having a big impact any time he gets on the field.'
