Alex Lees aware of need to turn starts into scores

GEORGE DOBELL AT TRENT BRIDGE: Lees, the Durham opener, has now batted eight times across his four Tests. While he has reached 20 in all of his six of his most recent innings, he has failed to pass 31 in any of them

Alex Lees accepts he is going to have to turn his good starts into something tangible if he is to retain a place in England's Test team.

Lees, the Durham opener, has now batted eight times across his four Tests. While he has reached 20 in all of his six of his most recent innings, he has failed to pass 31 in any of them. As a result, he has a modest Test average of 21.37.

But in making those starts in each innings, Lees has shown he can fulfil the most difficult task of a Test opener – seeing off the ball at its newest and the bowlers at their freshest. "To be praised for a 20 is probably bittersweet," Lees said ahead of training in Nottingham a couple of days before the second Test of the LV= Insurance series against New Zealand. "If you can get a good 20, you know you can probably make 60,70,80. There's two aspects behind that praise: the first is that they recognise the manner in which you played is in line with the team ethos, the second is the disappointment from an internal point of view.

"If you keep getting to 20 as an opener, that's the hardest part. To keep getting there and getting out is quite frustrating. But I know that if I trust it over a period of time I should be all right. It’s about managing yourself. Everybody can get impatient. There is always something you want or need and you want it now.

"It's not putting pressure on to make a double-hundred this game. I'm aware I'd love to make a good score. I'm just going to try and trust it and if I keep playing how I want to play, hopefully that will be all right. But you always need to show some worth, otherwise you're not going to get reselected."

^{Lees is one of three Durham men in England's squad (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)}

Ben Stokes, the new England captain, praised Lees for his best innings yet in an England shirt after his second innings at Lord's. And it's true Lees drove with some style in picking up four boundaries and settling some England nerves. But he did also score only 20 and his dismissal, in the eighth over, left England with a lot of work to do.

Still, he takes encouragement in the freedom with which he played and believes it hints at the way he can optimise his talent. As a young player he earned the nickname 'Haydos' from former Australian seamer Jason Gillespie who was, for a time, head coach at Yorkshire. It was in reference to former Australian opener Matthew Hayden to whom Gillespie likened Lees' aggressive style of play.

As he matured, Lees became a much more conservative player. But he now believes a balance between the styles would be most beneficial for both him and the team.

"The bigger picture for me is that I want to keep playing in a way in a way in which I like to play which a way in which Brendan McCullum and Ben Stokes want us to play," he said. "And if I believe that, if I do that, there's no reason over next couple of games why I can't get a score.

"Early in my career, particularly in my Yorkshire days, I played in one gear which was 'attack, attack, attack'. But I think the older you get, you do you get a bit wiser and you approach different situations in a different manner. Over the last few years I've probably absorbed the pressure more than I used to.

"Sometimes it's probably about having the courage to go out and do what you want to do. I think in that West Indies series, I had a couple of solid innings where I faced lot lots of balls, but I didn't really score lots of runs. Sometimes it's about those moments where you can apply a little bit of pressure back onto the bowler. I've only played four games but when I'm out there I love playing for England and it's something that I obviously want to do for a long period of time but if I prepare right and do the good things you know I'm confident it'll come good."

^{Lees has played four Tests so far for England (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)}

Lees also insisted he would continue to alter his guard as the match situation dictated, despite it appearing to contribute to his dismissal in both innings at Lord's. Lees has developed a technique where he will, at times, use a guard outside off-stump in an attempt to negate the angle of attack from bowlers going round the wicket and looking for LBW dismissals. At other times, he reverts to a conventional guard.

This seemed to work against him at Lord's where he was trapped LBW by Tim Southee in the first innings after playing around one which beat him on the inside, while in the second innings, having reverted to a more orthodox guard, he was bowled leaving one. He is, however, committed to continuing with the method.

"So depending on the bowler and depending on where they deliver the ball from on the crease, the margin for them to get me out can be considerably lower [with the unorthodox guard]," he explained. "Particularly LB. Over the last few years, the county wickets have been quite conducive to seam and everybody comes round the wicket to left handers. So, it's just about trying to negate some threats, particularly that new ball depending on the bowler.

"In the West Indies, Kemar Roach jumped quite tight to the crease so I didn't do it at all to him because he can easily hit the stumps. But I did it and got out to Southee in the first innings at Lord's so obviously it got some scrutiny.

"But it's about trusting your instincts for the situation and the particular bowler. In the second innings, I started round but then they moved a leg slip and catcher so I batted orthodox because obviously if he bowls on my pads and I flick it, there is a good chance it could go in the air.

"So one rule doesn't always fit one bowler or the field or the situation. So for me, it's just about trying to trust my judgement at the time. And then you're obviously you you're judged by the results. It I feel like I want to need to take an orthodox guard, I'll do it and same if I feel like getting out the line of off-stump is going to give me a little bit more in my favour, I'll do it. I'm happy to switch."