Durham and England opener Alex Lees turned heads by employing a creative batting stance against his side’s fixture with Glamorgan.

Lees was seen standing unusually wide outside his off-stump to right-arm seamers bowling from around the wicket to the point of exposing his leg-stump – and sometimes even half of middle – in the process. When the right-arm seamers bowled from over the wicket, his stance was conventional, but Lees stepped a foot outside the off stump when facing Michael Hogan around the wicket.

The 29-year-old Lees, who has two County Championship hundreds from his first three appearances in 2022, told Wisden.com in January that, in a bid to get outside the line of the off stump, he moves a foot outside the off stump and out of the crease while facing right-arm seamers bowling from around the wicket.

“For bowlers bowling around the wicket to me – not to everyone – I’ve batted a foot outside off stump and a foot outside my crease to get outside the line of off stump,” Lees told Wisden.com. “Or if it’s a pretty good wicket and all they’re trying to do is get you out lbw, I’ll move to middle or leg stump. That’s the sort of batsmanship or fluidity that I have that’s changed a little bit. Just having the fluidity in your game and being brave enough to do it.”

In February, Lees made his England Test debut, playing three Tests against West Indies in Joe Root’s final assignment as captain.

Hell of a guard by Alex Lees this morning. “Can I have corridor of uncertainty please, Mr Umpire?” pic.twitter.com/cwo7k5qWxM

— Elgan Evan Alderman (@ElganTimes) May 12, 2022