Could England’s next Test match batter be a current Italy international?
Durham’s Emilio Gay certainly hopes so, with the left-hander looking to force his way into Ben Stokes’ red-ball side in 2025 and focusing on improving his white-ball game in order to do so.
Bedford-born Gay qualifies for Italy through his mother and played in four 50-over games for the Azzurri in November, hitting half-centuries in each of them with a best of 96 against Tanzania.
Gay moved to Durham on loan in 2024 ahead of a permanent switch over the winter
With Italy not an ICC Full Member nation, those appearances will not stand in the way of him representing his native England – and the top-order player is frustrated he has not done so already.
Gay racked up 1,019 County Championship runs in 2024, notching 919 in 10 matches for Northamptonshire in Division Two and then a further 100 in two Division One fixtures for Durham, a side he initially joined on loan ahead of a permanent switch over the winter.
The highlight was an innings of 261 for Northants against Middlesex.
Yet when England needed an extra batter in New Zealand owing to Jamie Smith’s paternity leave, Gay was overlooked in favour of Jacob Bethell, a player with zero red-ball hundreds compared to Gay’s six and who had scored just 466 first-class runs this summer.
Gay disappointed not to be involved with England
Bethell, of course, showed the supreme talent he possesses against the Black Caps, striking three half-centuries from the No 3 spot and looking every inch the Test player, but Zak Crawley’s lack of form at the top of the order may have given Gay a sniff of a call-up.
So where does he think he stands in the pecking order?
Gay, 24, told Sky Sports: “[England Men’s selector] Luke Wright reached out to me in August regarding the Lions – I think I just missed out on the red-ball game against Sri Lanka.
“I am an honest person and am naturally disappointed not to be involved with England this winter in some sort of squad or Lions tour.
“I am aware they have gone down a slightly different route with regards to picking younger players, but I have just got 1,000 runs and had a good couple of seasons before that behind me.
Gay scored 261 for Northants against Middlesex in the 2024 County Championship
“I really feel as if I am at that point in my career where I am pushing for that top-three spot in Test cricket but for whatever reason, I have not been picked for anything.
“It is hard at times when you are averaging 60 and I would like to understand a bit more why certain things have happened but that is beyond my control.
“I certainly don’t want to rubbish what other people have done because there are some really talented players who have been fast-tracked into this Bazball way.
My strike-rate was up. I was more positive in my mindset and took the game on a little bit more. I have always had that appetite to score runs and bat long, all I was lacking was that little bit more consistency but I found that this year with fifties between my hundreds.
‘I am looking to do things a little bit differently’
“All I can do is score runs, get hundreds and go about my business.
“Next season my goal is not necessarily to go past 1,000 runs but surpass what people expect of Emilio Gay and I am looking to do things a little bit differently.
“I was injured last year for the majority of the Vitality Blast and I think not playing much T20 cricket has been a bit of a detriment to my goals of playing Test cricket, especially with the way England play at the minute.
“My goal was to dominate red-ball cricket but now that I am more established in county cricket I want to expand my white-ball game. It was one of the reasons I picked playing for Italy.”
Gay followed his unbeaten 96 against Tanzania with innings of 57, 50 and 66 not out versus Hong Kong, Uganda and Singapore respectively, opening with former Australia star Joe Burns.
He added: “I saw it as a good opportunity to get on tough wickets [in Uganda] and explore a little bit, play with freedom when there was not as much pressure on outcome. I’m really happy I went.
“The environment was great, a lot of fun, but it was a chance to play with quality players as well. I learnt a bit off him.
“[Kent’s] Grant Stewart and [former Middlesex, Hampshire and Northamptonshire all-rounder] Gareth Berg were there, too, so we had some really good cricket brains around.
“The guys back themselves to qualify for the 2026 T20 World Cup and I think they have a really good chance. I was surprised at how much skill there was in the camp.”
‘Durham move was the best thing for my career’
Gay has not ruled out playing for Italy again but stressed that securing an England call-up is his ultimate goal, stating that was the chief reason he swapped Northants for Durham.
The batter, who is also looking to improve his fielding and athleticism over the winter, said: “Durham have produced a lot of England players over the years and there are players in this dressing room with recent or current international experience.
“Ben Stokes, Mark Wood, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson were all called up by England for the New Zealand series, David Bedingham with South Africa.
“There are so many players at this club I want to be around so I can put myself in the best position to achieve my goals. There weren’t many counties to look past beyond Durham.
Gay says Durham’s trend of producing England players was a key factor in his switch to Chester-le-Street
“People say was it a big, hard decision to leave Northants and certain bits of it were – my family are down there and it was disappointing to leave friends and memories behind. But I think this is the best thing for my career so it made the decision easier.
“The exposure at Northampton probably wasn’t as great as here in Division One with players around the England system.
“I remember getting a hundred against Surrey in Division One in 2022 against a top bowling attack and perhaps knocks like that don’t get quite as highlighted at certain places.”
