Sir Alastair Cook has seen enough. In a summer that has chewed up and spat out opening batters, he believes Emilio Gay should be on the plane to South Africa – and at the top of England’s order when they get there.
The numbers do not scream for attention: 261 runs at 26.1, a highest score of 60. On paper, it is a modest return. On grass, under heavy skies and on pitches tilted firmly in favour of the ball, it looks very different.
At Edgbaston, against a Pakistan attack that had just skittled their own batting line-up for 133, Gay’s 60 from 114 balls did something England’s summer has badly needed. It calmed everything down.
Cook backs a “stubborn” opener
Cook, who knows more than most about surviving new balls and bad spells, has been struck not by the flair, but by the fight.
“I think Emilio Gay's played really nicely. I would say he's confident and intense,” he told Test Match Special, praising a player he sees as a genuine run-maker once set. “He is definitely a run-getter when he gets in. He seems to have that real stubborn and strong will to make it count if he can.
“He has done enough for me to take him to South Africa to continue the progress of a player where the pitches will be slightly easier to bat on and he should open the batting.”
That word – stubborn – matters. In a year where only Ben Duckett has managed a Test hundred in England, Gay’s willingness to absorb pressure has stood out.
Leaving well, defending late
The data backs up what Cook’s eye has picked out. According to CricViz, Gay has left or defended 61% of the pace deliveries he has faced since his debut against New Zealand in June. No English opener has bettered that in a home summer since Dom Sibley in 2020, who reached 68%.
On Wednesday, the method was laid bare. Gay left or defended 65 balls in his innings, often playing his defensive strokes as late as possible, letting the ball come to him rather than lunging at it. Cook, a master of that art, “likes how late he defends the ball” and the patience that underpins his more attacking shots.
The tempo of the innings told its own story. The first 12 runs of his half-century took 43 balls. The next 38 came in 52. He earned the right to expand.
When he did, the boundaries flowed. Gay struck nine fours and, remarkably, 68% of his Test runs have come in boundaries – the joint-highest proportion of any England batter with at least 250 runs in the format. He may look like a grafter, but there is plenty of scoring power once he settles.
Cook highlighted the rounded nature of Gay’s game. This is not a one-sided, cover-drive-or-bust opener.
“If you take Gay's innings, and what I've seen of him, he's not hunting that drive too often. He waits for it to come into there,” Cook said. “He scores off the back foot through the off side as well. He scored through the leg side and timed them through mid-wicket so he does have an all-round game. He's not limited to the off side.”
A missed landmark – and a lingering frustration
For all the control and composure, the innings ended with a thud. On 60, Gay dragged on a ball from Razaullah Khan. A tired stroke to a lively delivery, late in the day, and a first Test century slipped away.
Former captain Michael Vaughan saw both the promise and the regret.
“Emilio Gay found his balance early. He had it hard at the start and then he found his flow,” Vaughan said. “He'll be really disappointed to get out for 60. He'll be desperate to get his first Test match century and I thought it was on today.
“That extra little bit of pace from Razaullah and a little lack of concentration at the end of the day has cost him.”
That disappointment may linger. Given Pakistan’s collapse and England’s control of the match, this could yet be Gay’s final Test innings of the home summer.
Selection scrap looming
If so, the timing is awkward. With Jacob Bethell expected to return from injury for the South Africa tour, there are likely to be just two top-order slots available for a trio of contenders: Jordan Cox, Dan Lawrence and Gay.
Gay’s case rests less on headline scores and more on repeated contributions in a brutal environment. Only Harry Brook, with six, has passed 30 more often than Gay’s five in this low-scoring home season. He has not gone big, but he has gone in repeatedly when others have fallen away.
There are flaws on the dossier. Bowlers have found success targeting him back of a length: seven of his dismissals have come in the 7–9 metre range, a potential weakness that will not have gone unnoticed.
Yet England’s dressing room seems to value what he is building. Seamer Josh Tongue pointed to the work behind the innings.
“The one thing I've seen in Emilio is he trains really hard in the nets. He'll bat for ages, putting a lot of hard work in, and it's shown on the pitch,” Tongue said. “Even last week at Lord's, he had two quite horrible dismissals, but I felt today he batted unbelievable on a tricky pitch.
“He was obviously really disappointed with how he got out. It's not a nice feeling, chopping on, but he's put the team in a really good position for tomorrow.”
That, in the end, is the crux of the argument. In a summer when openers have been exposed, Gay has taken blows, adjusted, and still found a way to put England on top.
Cook believes that kind of character travels well. The selectors now have to decide whether this was just a promising cameo, or the start of an opening partnership they can trust when the sun is hotter, the pitches truer, and the expectations even higher in South Africa.
