Melbourne-born Daniel Worrall has said he is “ready to go” if England ask him to join the Bazball revolution, but the 32-year-old added there’s a long way to go before he could become the 12th Australian-born England Test player.

Worrall was speaking after maintaining his impressive start to the English red-ball season, picking up 5-47 as Surrey defeated Hampshire by an innings and 11 runs at The Oval to move level top of the County Championship’s first division.

In doing so the seamer, who acquired a British passport via his father’s background, passed a century of wickets for his adopted county.

But Worrall, who played three ODIs for Australia in 2016 before his progress was stunted by a series of injuries, only changed allegiance in April 2022 and is not yet eligible for England.

“The way the rules are, it’s three years since being a local player in England, so I suppose that would be next April,” he said. “I’m ready to go if I’m required, but I’ve learned in my time that as soon as you think that far ahead, you’re kidding yourself.”

Of his decision to register as a local player he added: “It’s something I wish I had done 10 years ago.”

Surrey, who are seeking a third successive title, wrapped up victory with two sessions to spare on Monday despite poor weather at the weekend. Either side of making 359 they dismissed Hampshire for 151 and 197, with Worrall taking 8-91 in the match.

Having bowled Surrey to victory against Kent last week he has now taken 14 wickets at 12.14 apiece this English summer. Ironically they have all come with the more seamer-friendly English Dukes ball. Worrall missed the opening two rounds when batters feasted on the Australian Kookaburra cherry with a neck injury.

After 10 seasons representing South Australia in the Marsh Sheffield Shield brought him 184 wickets at an average of 29.03, his 101 wickets for Surrey have come at 22.51 apiece. 

Worrall’s accuracy and ability to find the edge was instrumental in Surrey’s 2022 and 2023 triumphs, when he took 39 and 48 wickets respectively.

Known as ‘Franky’ after his great West Indian namesake, Worrall often goes under the radar due to his undemonstrative manner and nagging reliability, but Surrey captain Rory Burns, the former England opener, said the dressing room knows his value.

“The way that ‘Franky’ bowls, the way he sets the tone for us, taking the new ball, he’s definitely not under-appreciated in my view,” Burns said. 

With Stuart Broad retired, Jimmy Anderson past 40 and other seamers beset by fitness issues there could yet be a place in the England attack for Worrall if he maintains his form for another year, with the swing bowler to be 33 by the time the next Ashes series rolls around. 

Daniel Worrall – Surrey

3-44 & 5-47

After missing the first two rounds with a neck complaint, Worrall has picked up where he left off with another bag of wickets including his sixth five-wicket haul for Surrey in only 24 matches. Remarkably, six of his eight wickets were caught by Ollie Pope in the slips cordon. 

Peter Handscomb – Leicestershire

99

Handscomb’s excellent start to the northern summer continued with his third-straight 50+ score but the Victorian will be kicking himself after running himself out for 99 against Northamptonshire. On a batter-friendly Leicester pitch, Handscomb had raced to 99 from only 116 deliveries and looked a shoe-in for his first century of the season. However, taking a quick single on India international Karun Nair’s arm proved to be too big of a risk and Handscomb had to walk back one short of the milestone. 

Marcus Harris – Leicestershire

0

Coming off a superb 214 last round, Harris had a match to forget against Northants. As the runs were piled on around him (both sides declared with more than 450 on the board), Harris was caught behind for a fifth-ball duck off the bowling of Ben Sanderson, who later celebrated his 500th wicket for Northamptonshire. 

Chris Tremain – Northamptonshire

0-97

 

37

The third and final Aussie in the Leicestershire-Northamptonshire match was experienced quick Tremain, who couldn’t make any inroads with the ball. His match begun well, sharing a 77-run partnership with centurion George Bartlett, but following that he went wicketless, sending down 25 overs on a track that offered little for the bowlers. 

Matthew Renshaw – Somerset

30 & 12 

The 28-year Renshaw brought up a significant milestone in Somerset’s first innings, passing 7,000 first-class runs during his knock of 30. He hit five boundaries but was caught at first slip just before lunch on day one. In the second innings and facing a 142-run deficit, Renshaw dropped the anchor and was happy to occupy the crease, lasting 77 balls for his 12 before chipping a catch to short leg off the bowling of leg-spinner Brett D’Oliveira. 

Cameron Bancroft – Gloucestershire

12 & 32 

Bancroft got another couple of starts over the weekend but wasn’t able to convert into a big score. He was perhaps unlucky in the first innings to chop on from a wide ball from paceman Ryan Higgins and in the second innings he fell victim to a screamer of a catch at second slip from Leus du Plooy.

Did not play

Nathan Lyon (Lancashire) – No game for Lancashire over the weekend so the veteran spinner got an opportunity to rest up. 

Wes Agar (Kent) – No match for Kent over the weekend either.

Marnus Labuschagne (Glamorgan) – The Australian No.3 doesn’t arrive in South Wales until May with former South Africa international Colin Ingram keeping his spot warm at Glamorgan until then.

Sean Abbott (Surrey) – The NSW allrounder is due to arrive in the UK in May.

Peter Siddle (Durham) – Siddle is heading over to Durham as Scott Boland’s replacement and should be available from May onwards. 

Scott Boland (Durham) – The Test-capped quick was sidelined with a foot injury and he has subsequently been replaced by Peter Siddle at the county. 

2024 Division One County Championship standings

Australians in the 2024 County Championship

Durham: Peter Siddle, Ashton Turner (T20s only)

Essex: Daniel Sams (T20s only)

Glamorgan: Marnus Labuschagne

Gloucestershire: Cameron Bancroft, Beau Webster

Hampshire: Michael Neser, Ben McDermott (T20s only)

Kent: Wes Agar

Lancashire: Nathan Lyon

Leicestershire: Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris

Northamptonshire: Chris Tremain

Somerset: Matthew Renshaw

Surrey: Sean Abbott

Sussex: Nathan McAndrew, Daniel Hughes