Prospective England Test batter James Rew was promoted to open for Somerset against Glamorgan today (May 8), but the experiment ended early when Rew was bowled off his seventh ball at the crease.
The move to send Rew out up top came after Somerset were put into bat by Glamorgan. Rew was sent out to open over Archie Vaughan, who has opened for Somerset in all of their matches since Tom Kohler-Cadmore sustained a hand injury against Essex last month.
Facing his first ball of the innings, Rew got off the mark with a boundary turned round the corner through fine leg, but didn't add anything more to his score before he was sent back. Facing his second ball from Timm van der Gugten in the following over, he was bowled between his bat and pad to a ball that was angled back into him.
Match 42, Glamorgan vs Somerset
vs
- Ball by ball Over
Rew finally lands opening promotion
There has been speculation over the last couple of Championship rounds as to whether Rew would be promoted. His role as Somerset's designated keeper has limited his ability to move up, and he came out at his regular No.4 last week after Yorkshire batted first. With Somerset batting first this week, although still the side's named keeper, Rew was able to move up having not already spent an innings behind the stumps.
This is the first time Rew has opened for Somerset in a Championship match, and comes two weeks before England are set to name their squad for the first Test series of the summer. Rew has previously been selected in England Test squads as batting cover, but has never been picked in a final XI. Rew has enjoyed a profitable start to the season, scoring a century in the opening round as well as three half centuries.
But, with the most obvious gap in England's lineup one of the opening spots, with Zak Crawley likely to be dropped after his poor start to the season, pressure has increased on Rew to move up the order. Speaking last month during Somerset's fixture against Hampshire, head coach Jason Kerr said of Rew: "[Opening for Somerset] is in my head, but we have to do what is right for the team. What I don't want to do is compromise his opportunity of playing for England,"
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