A year ago Toby Roland-Jones had made a sensational start to his Test career and looked set for a spot in England’s Ashes side. Then disaster struck. Now, with bowling a cricket ball still a long way off and fresh faces making their mark for England, he talks to Ben Gardner about how he’s dealt with every cricketer’s worst nightmare.
As England revel in their dismantling of the World No. 1 Test side by an innings and 159 runs at Lord’s, grapple with problems of how to fit 12 into 11, and even contemplate a 5-0 Test series victory, spare a thought for Toby Roland-Jones. Less than a year ago, he was on the cusp of selection for the winter’s Ashes, close to a decade of hard county toil finally bearing fruit – he made his Test debut with more first-class wickets behind him than any English bowler since Jon Lewis in 2006.
That first Test was a special one, his match figures of 8-129 the best for any English debutant since James Kirtley in 2003 as England triumphed by 239 runs over South Africa at The Oval. He looked cut out for the highest level: a solid action, a knack for taking top-order wickets, and most of all an enjoy-it-while-it-lasts attitude setting him in good stead. “It’s important to enjoy those highs because I know that things will get tougher and I’m certainly ready to accept that when they come,” he told Wisden Cricket Monthly towards the end of that season.
“Throughout the winter with the Ashes I found myself wanting to watch the game, I didn’t have any sense of regret,” he says. “You’re still a fan at the end of the day and want the guys that you know and have got friendly with to do well.
“And Middlesex is a club I’ve been part with my whole life more or less, so it’s always going to be something I’ll support and look to try and find out how they’re getting on. I’ve got a lot of close mates in the dressing room that I’m rooting for and want to do well.”
Middlesex will be hoping that it won’t be long until Roland-Jones is back in the dressing room, strapping on his bowling boots. And while there’s still a long way to go, the steps he’s made on the road to recovery are encouraging.
Toby Roland-Jones’ story is as strong evidence as anything that there are no guarantees in this sport, and that a career in cricket can be cruel and unfair. He may never bowl to that same standard again, or never at all. Or he might come back as good as he was a year ago, and, who knows, maybe even resume his England career.
Whatever transpires however, you imagine he’ll come out with a positive attitude, able to look back fondly on a career filled with more than its share of achievements, rather than ruing his misfortune. Considering what’s befallen him, that in itself would be no small feat.
