England's Toby Roland-Jones out to prove he is not as green as critics think

Roland-Jones admits there were times when he wondered if the successful career he began forging with Middlesex in 2010 would ever bear fruit in international cricket.

But at the age of 29, 10 months after a crowning moment at county level when his Lord’s hat-trick clinched the championship from under title-holding Yorkshire’s noses, his England breakthrough came in equally memorable circumstances across London at The Oval.

After his eight-wicket match haul in a 239-run victory which put England 2-1 up against South Africa with one to play at Old Trafford, Roland-Jones announced his intention to bust the myth that he is an ‘English’ seamer who needs the heavy cloud cover which prevailed throughout the third Test.

He has learned his trade on increasingly flat pitches at Lord’s and is confident he has the nous and skills to be a handful in Manchester this week – and, if selected, Australia next winter too.

Those future plans have not stopped him making the most of his finest hour to date, though.

Reflecting on his success at The Oval, he said: “It was about taking a moment to soak it up and knowing my family were there watching.

“Those are the moments that will stick the longest.”

Roland-Jones is under-stated on and off the pitch, but he does take issue with the assumption he needs a green pitch and clouds above to be at his best.

“Not necessarily,” he said. “Naturally (England) is where I have played my cricket, so I am more adept in those conditions.

“But certainly I don’t see that as a limiting factor for me.

“I’ve enjoyed bowling whenever I have gone away – I was in Sri Lanka this year and enjoyed the challenges those conditions offered, and have played in Australia and South Africa. So I see myself as someone who adapts to whatever conditions I play. You’ve got to be prepared to adapt to (what is) thrown at you.”

That has included eking assistance out of an often unresponsive home patch, watched and encouraged by metronomic former England seamer Angus Fraser. Roland-Jones is grateful both to Middlesex’s director of cricket and England selector, and the recurring challenge of conquering Lord’s.

“Those experiences make you a better player for having to learn different ways or modes of getting people out – whether that is with the fields or reverse-swing, trying to find what is the most dangerous approach on the day,” he said.

Fraser was quickly in touch after his protege took five first-innings wickets last weekend.

“Keeping him sweet since he has been an England selector has always been the ploy,” Roland-Jones added, with a smile.