Gurney pleased with 'positive environment'

Cricket365
May 25, 2014

England fast bowler Harry Gurney is loving his time with the national side, and is especially pleased with the way Peter Moores runs the dressing room, saying it is a 'positive atmosphere' off the field.

Moores took over from Ashley Giles in April, after Andy Flower resigned from the head coach role following the disastrous tour to Australia. With reports of dressing room drama and the sacking of Kevin Pietersen, Gurney feels welcome in Moores' side.

Gurney, with a handful of England games under his belt, told Sky Sports after the first ODI at The Oval: "Peter is a coach who sends you out there with confidence.

"He wants players – particularly someone like me who was coming in on debut – to come in to the team and do what I have done to get myself here and that's hopefully something I've taken out on to the pitch and have done.

"It's a really positive environment. To be fair, when I joined up with the team in the West Indies just after Australia, the atmosphere was really positive even then, so now under a new coaching setup and some new playing personnel, the atmosphere is absolutely brilliant, despite what happened in the winter."

He added of his experience in the past month, from his debut against Scotland: "It's been a bit of a whirlwind really. I was on the periphery for a little while.

"I went to the West Indies (in March) and it was frustrating not to play, so to finally get my opportunity and go out there with the Three Lions on my chest is an amazing feeling and one that I want to continue for as long as I can."

Gurney doesn't seem to be near the Test side yet, but is a prospect and wants to make sure his longer format game is up to par. He averages 33.92 in First Class cricket for Nottinghamshire and has 15 wickets so far this season.

He said: "My red ball game is a work in progress. I'm a little more consistent and rounded as a performer with the white ball, but I'm getting better and better with the red ball and I offer something a little bit different, so who knows."