“That call from Chris Silverwood last week it made everything worth it” – Tymal Mills on his T20 World Cup selection

England left-arm seamer Tymal Mills was a surprise pick in the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Although skipper Eoin Morgan hinted earlier this year of Tymal Mills’ international comeback, his inclusion was still doubtful.

Hence, the 29-year old feels all the struggles and hard work have finally paid off. Mills made his T20I debut in 2016 and has played five matches so far, but picked up only three scalps. Mills hasn’t featured for England since February 2017, however, he impressed in The T20 Blast.

Speaking to Talk Sport, Tymal Mills always thought of himself as a worthy cricketer, but fitness and form kept setting him back. The Yorkshire pacer sensed opportunities at The Hundred and Blast and made the most of them.

“I always thought I was good enough to play for England, but it’s just been a case of staying fit for long enough and proving it and being able to back up performances over the course of weeks and months playing in tournaments.

I identified at the start of the year that there was a lot of opportunity there with the Blast and then The Hundred leading into a World Cup. If I could go well in those two competitions, I’d like to think I’d throw my hat in the ring and luckily I did that,”

Millis remarked he was delighted to see himself hit the straps this summer. He stated that the call from head coach Chris Silverwood made all the struggles worth it.

“I was really happy with how I performed over this summer, we’ve still got Finals Day to go this week, but it’s been a brilliant summer so far. I’ve worked hard and it’s not always been easy but when I got that call from Chris Silverwood last week it made everything worth it,”

Mills, part of the Southern Brave in The Hundred, took eight wickets in ten games at 26. He has raised his performance further at the T20 Blast, picking up 14 scalps in eight matches at 14.78 apiece so far.

I’ve put in a lot of hard work and it was nice to see the rewards for that: Tymal Mills

Tymal Mills further claimed that fitness is one thing that has impeded his progress. Hence, 29-year old was glad to see his performances in The Hundred and Blast, reaping the rewards. Mills added:

“I always back myself to do well, if I’m confident in my body then I’m confident I’ll have a good game in T20 cricket but staying fit has been the problem for me. Not just playing four or five games and getting injured, it’s being able to get through a whole group stage, a whole competition,”

“I was really happy in The Hundred, I think I bowled the most balls in the competition which you probably would have got long odds on, I played every game, I bowled my full allocation in every game. I’ve put in a lot of hard work and it was nice to see the rewards for that,”

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England will look to lift their second T20 title in this edition of the World Cup. The Three Lions will open their campaign against the West Indies on the 23rd of October in Dubai. Mills, along with Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, David Willey, Chris Jordan and Sam Curran, are the pacers in England’s squad.