England batter Emilio Gay has made a strong case for an opening position in the upcoming winter tour of South Africa, according to former England captain Sir Alastair Cook.
Gay's performance has impressed observers, with former England captain Michael Vaughan noting that the batter found his rhythm early in his innings. "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," Vaughan said. He attributed Gay's dismissal to a momentary lapse in concentration and a slight increase in pace from the bowler.
Despite the disappointment of not reaching three figures, England seamer Josh Tongue highlighted Gay's dedication. "The one thing I've seen in Emilio is he trains really hard in the nets. He'll bat for ages, putting in a lot of hard work, and it's shown on the pitch," Tongue stated. Tongue also acknowledged that Gay's previous dismissals had been unfortunate, but that his most recent innings on a challenging pitch was exceptional. "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," Tongue added.