The England Men’s U19 team pulled off a memorable victory in Australia on Wednesday, the Young Lions first Youth Test victory in Australia since 2003. Durham’s Ben McKinney, who scored a 45-ball 70 in England’s second innings spoke about England’s victory.
Congratulations on victory in the first Youth Test. Did you feel in control from the start?
It was quite tough early on, but the boys did well in the middle and worked hard for a good score. That first innings was the only score above 300 all match. Then we bowled them out in less than a day, which really helped us get some control. The way we went about it was pretty aggressive. We had good fields and our approach was different to what they wanted to try to do. We got ahead of the game and took a good initiative, which is how we want to play in every game. We took a few risks, but we always felt we could bowl them out. We were pretty confident, and then we had a great finish on the final day.
Is that aggression going to be a hallmark of how this team plays?
100 per cent. We’re going to follow suit from the England Men’s senior team. We’ve got the skill level already, but this approach also helps your skills to progress because you’re not worried too much: you’re just focused on your strengths. That’s the best way to play. The last time the men’s U19s won in Australia was 2003, and maybe this approach is the difference. I think our aggressive intent definitely helped us win this Test.
Harry Singh, Matthew Hurst and Dominic Kelly all made great contributions in this Test, tell me about their performance.
Harry and Matthew showed real intent, but in a different sort of way. Harry was so good. They both batted out a session in a tough situation at the beginning of the match and produced two very important knocks in the context of the overall game. In the second innings I started pretty quickly, but we still needed a few runs lower down and Dom and Bertie (Foreman) steadied the ship, then Dom’s five-for in Australia’s second innings was just brilliant.
You scored 70 runs from 45 deliveries in the second innings. Have you been learning from the senior team and their approach under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes?
Definitely. The thing with this match was that I didn’t feel any risk in what I was doing. I just focused on what I can do well, and that’s to stay on top of the bounce. It helps with the senior men’s team showing how it’s done. It calms you down, relaxes you and makes you think about what you’re good at.
How is the tour going overall?
It’s been so good. We had a practice week, with a few different scenarios to work on in training, and outside of training we’ve really enjoyed ourselves. There’s a lot of stuff to do out here. Obviously, the main goal was to win every single game, the next match is the next big test.
What have you learned on tour?
It’s my first time in Australia and it’s a great place to be. But the tour is about winning. Our reaction when the last wicket fell showed that. But when we’re playing this way, it’s also helping us to socialize and get together as a team.
How important is a tour like for this for a young player’s development?
The main thing I’ve learned to face is the length of time you’re away from home. I’ve never been away for 35 days before. That’s the toughest part. You’ve got to learn when to switch on and when to switch off. While you’ve got to concentrate on your game, you’ve also got to know how and when to step away. It’s about keeping your confidence level high, and all the boys are doing that so far.
What are your hopes for 2023 more broadly?
I want to take this start of the year into any game I’m playing. I want to break into the Durham first team desperately. That’s the main goal for me: I don’t care what format it is, as long as I’m playing.