Dom Bess puts West Indies on notice ahead of second Test: "I feel really dangerous"

England's first-choice spinner is refusing to rest on his laurels and has delivered an insight into his relationship with Jack Leach

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Exeter's Dom Bess is not one for narcissism. The 22-year-old is as far removed from egotistical as you can be for a major sportsperson.

So when the off-spinner describes himself as "dangerous", it is worth taking note. This is not a verbal grenade sent in the direction of the West Indies ahead of the second Test at Emirates Old Trafford. It is merely an honest appraisal of where he feels his bowling is.

In truth, there was not a lot of danger presented by the England youngster at The Ageas Bowl. Figures of 2-51 in the first innings came thanks to some scrambled thinking on the part of the tourists. Second time around on day five, Bess played a bit-part on a dry pitch as the Windies strolled to victory. A return of 10-2-31-0 tells its own story.

Clearly, the Somerset man feels those numbers betray his form. Two days out from England and West Indies doing battle again Bess spoke with utter confidence, without a tinge of arrogance, about his hopes for the resumption of the series.

"I feel really dangerous and that is a great place to be," he said. "As a spinner some days it goes your way and some days it won't and that is cricket. I want to contribute and when the opportunities come I just want to make sure I take them.

"People talk about this pressure about it being on me on the last day. I actually flip it around: it is a great opportunity.

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"I feel like I'm attacking both edges of the bat and my consistency and accuracy with where I am landing it is dangerous. That comes through practice and training and getting that rhythm for myself. I am very big on my rhythm. It is just a feeling and I certainly feel I've got that at the moment."

National selector Ed Smith and head coach Chris Silverwood have spoken at length this summer about the competition for places in the Test XI. That is never more true than in the spin department. Moeen Ali remains the No.3 in the pecking order. Matthew Parkinson and Amar Virdi didn't even make the 22. Jack Leach, for all his heroics at Headingley, is a reserve following several bouts of illness. Bess is the man in possession ahead of a healthy rank of spinners.

But the competition has not diminished the sharing of experiences. Former England striker Gary Lineker has spoken in the past of wanting teammates selected ahead of him to fail, just to enhance his own prospects. There appears to be none of that in this particular England camp.

"It is a great feeling (being the first choice) but I'm not taking it as a guarantee," he added. "I know Leachy is behind me. I've had to wait for my spot for a long time I guess, always being behind. 

"It is a little bit different at the moment. It is making sure I just focus on what I can control. We're helping each other be the best we can for the England side and that is the best place to be.

"Leachy is a great lad. Even when I got picked and he got put in the reserves, he was the first one to come up to me. We had a coffee and a chat about spin. There is always going to be that individual disappointment but we're so close and we can chat and there is no awkwardness and no rivalry. I certainly feel as though we're working as a team.

^{Dom Bess and Jack Leach might be rivals for a berth in the England team - but they continue to work in tandem}

"It is a great thing to have. You want that challenge, that competition for places. If you go through the whole squad there are two or three that can do that role. That is a really positive place to be. That is only going to produce success in the long term."

Though Bess has only played five Tests, his spell in the international ranks has ticked over two years. He showed in Port Elizabeth his ability to go from holding up an end to being a front-line threat. Such a lofty status has not affected his desire to continue learning, developing, and progressing as an international player.

"A big one is Nathan Lyon," said Bess, when asked to list his cricketing idols, which including Graeme Swann and Rangana Herath. "I look at him a lot. I look at his action and how he gets a lot on it. That is something I have been looking at. 

"It is very exciting where I think I am at, at the moment. To think that I am 22, 23 this month it is exciting. I have to keep grounded, keep working, keep having this no ego approach. 

"I am still learning, I've only played 40 first-class games. When you think you've done it that's the end really. I want a long international career so I have to keep working."

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