Dan Lawrence - A player determined to do things his own way

"You could call it unique. But obviously, it isn't to me."

If young Essex batsman Dan Lawrence makes his Test debut against Sri Lanka in Galle on Thursday, he will do so with a technique that does not come out of the MCC's coaching manual. In some quarters, eyebrows may be raised at his strong leg-side game and unorthodox shot making. But for Lawrence himself, how he bats is the product of hours and hours hitting balls. He trusts his technique. Most importantly, it has brought him runs wherever he has gone.

What about Lawrence's batting is unusual? Firstly, he doesn't have a trigger movement. He stands stock still until the ball is bowled. He used to move back and across but found that he was dismissed LBW too often for his liking. So he changed things. His dominant area is through the leg-side to such an extent that deliveries most other batsmen would play to cover or mid-off, Lawrence whips through midwicket or mid-on. His wrists bend in ways other batsman's don't, allowing him to play shots that look fantastic on a Twitter clip.

The runs have flowed. Lawrence averages 37.96 in first-class cricket, which is better than it sounds given he plays half his games at Chelmsford on a pitch which always offers something for the bowlers. There have been a number of standout innings along the way. He scored 161 in his second County Championship match, against Surrey in 2015, as a 17 year-old, the second youngest Championship centurion at the time. A big unbeaten fourth innings hundred against Lancashire two years later, thwarted the great James Anderson who bowled 24 wicketless overs.

On last winter's Lions tour, Lawrence scored a mountain of runs, including a hundred at the MCG in the unofficial 'Test' against a strong Australia A. Ed Smith, the national selector, was in Melbourne and was impressed. "Dan Lawrence is an unusual player but he's got that real quality about him," Smith said in December when announcing the squad for the Sri Lanka tour. "He has his own style, he has real confidence and presence at the crease, he's inventive, he's versatile because he's also a good short-form player."

If, as expected, Lawrence plays on Thursday, he will continue with what has got him to this point. "I am a big one for trying to do things in my own way," he said on Monday (January 11). "It's trying to stick to my guns and what I've done that's made me successful so far. I don't want to come into an England environment and completely change everything because that wouldn't be true to myself. A big thing for me is having the confidence in my own game, I do believe I can be really successful at this level, it's just a matter of going and doing it now.

"Hopefully if I do get the nod on Thursday, I stay true to myself, go out there and really express myself and not sit in a hole, or let the situation get too much for me. The confidence in my own game is quite a big strength of mine."

Being confident in one's own game is not the same as being unwilling to adapt or learn. The removal of his trigger movement is an example of Lawrence tweaking his game to improve it. He is a note taker and an observer. He was part of a month-long ECB spin camp in India last winter and has referred to his notes about playing spin since arriving in Sri Lanka. He also spent a fair amount in England's red-ball bubble during the summer watching, talking to and learning from the likes of Ben Stokes and Joe Root.

"I'm a big watcher so I park myself at the back of the nets and try to take little bits from anyone," Lawrence said. "It's fantastic having Jacques Kallis here, arguably the greatest player to have ever played. We had a good chat today about batting and I had to pinch myself. So that's been awesome. I had a good chat to Rooty and I try to take bits here and there while still sticking to my guns and knowing how I'll be successful and following those processes.

"I can't remember how long exactly I was there for [in the bubble] but actually not playing allowed me to hit a lot of balls in the nets, allowed me to do a lot of watching, not even just the batters but how the bowlers go about things. It allowed me to have good conversations with some of the older boys. I did learn a lot and from watching a lot of cricket, you do tend to learn and realise what you need to get better at, what your strengths are and what you need to succeed at this level." It is the sort of self-sufficiency that bodes well.

Lawrence is now 23 and understandably has more evident self-confidence than he had when he first burst onto the scene at Essex. In an interview with Cricbuzz three years ago, he was polite but shy, content to answer questions with a few words and no more. He comes across as a far more confident character now, happy to expand on points, talk about his batting and his upbringing, crack a few jokes. He looks and sounds like a man comfortable in his own skin.

The past year has been a particularly difficult one. Lawrence's Mum, Claire, sadly passed away last summer after a long illness. "Mum had been ill for a couple of years so as sad as it was, I had mentally prepared myself for the worst happening," he said. "That made things quite tough for a couple of months. Then it was lovely to go back and play some cricket for Essex around my really good mates, who I needed at that time. They were all fantastic."

His Dad, the groundsman at Chingford CC where Lawrence played his club cricket in the Essex league, was a formative influence. Lawrence would constantly ask his Dad to throw him balls in the indoor nets and was rarely turned down. "He will be a nervous wreck if I do play on Thursday," Lawrence said of his father. "I would love to have him out here, as well as my brothers.

"He is very good at what he does and he has got a bit of an obsession with cutting grass. My childhood memories would be of him out there trying to make every blade of grass look perfect. Then just a lot of cricket conversations. It was always nice. I have been brought up around cricket and haven't really played any other sports growing up. Me and my Dad would have conversation after conversation around cricket and I am sure he will be very excited come Thursday.

"He played for Chingford 1s as a wicket-keeper and from the war stories he has told me, he seemed like he was decent with the gloves. But I reckon he is a bit of a taxman and always adds an extra 10 or 20% to every story. Apparently, he was half decent. He has been very good for me. He used to feed me so many balls when I was younger. He always wanted me to be a cricketer so it has worked out quite well."

Indeed it has. Lawrence is on the cusp of a Test debut. What's more, in his own way, he looks ready for it. "It's something I've wanted to do since I was really young," he said. "I'm loving every single minute of being here, the training is fantastic, lovely hotel. It's just really exciting to be a part of. If I do play, then god knows how I will feel on Thursday, but at the moment I'm feeling pretty calm about it and full of excitement.

"Representing England is something I've always strive to do. It's what any cricketer wants to do."