England vs New Zealand: Sonny Baker lifts mood by staying true to himself

Unlike his fellow debutant wicketkeeper James Rew, who was said to be replacing Jamie Smith in Sauna on Tuesday, Baker had a few days to prepare for his Test bow after a scan on Ollie Robinson’s knee on Saturday.

A keen note-taker, Baker has a book with pointers to remember for every battle but also how to deal with the stress that comes with debuting on cricket’s biggest stage.

It’s about embracing many occasions.

“Even last night I was struggling to eat, and fuel is very important as a fast bowler,” he said. “This morning I felt anxiety forming in my stomach.

“I was pretty honest with people that I was pretty nervous during the day. Once you start warming up, everything goes and you get stuck.”

With England naming three debutants in their XI for the first time in nine years, the pre-match huddle was longer than some first dates.

Rew received his cap from fellow Somerset player Marcus Trescothick, while Jordan Cox received his cap from Essex legend Nasser Hussain.

Baker, a self-proclaimed fast-bowling geek, was handed over from another of the counties he joined – former England quick Steven Finn.

“The presentation of the cap was more emotional than anything else, seeing how proud my parents were,” he admitted.

“I was trying not to get emotional in front of the rest of the guys, but I was struggling a bit.”

When Baker’s first wicket-taking over was completed, perhaps bubbling over with emotion, he went the wrong way first, into deep third instead of a long-leg fielding position.

After making amends, a section of the Oval crowd greeted him with a standing ovation.

“It was right,” Baker said. “In T20s and stuff, the crowd doesn’t really understand when you’ve got songs on.

“When it’s silent and there’s just a trumpet in the background, you really feel the crowd getting behind you.”

Baker’s Test debut was not lost on such an unusual day.

Three debutants, one with more caps than the rest of the team and the captain more than 250 miles away in the balance of his career.

Far from ideal, but across England appeared buoyant and tight.

“It’s been great actually,” added the Devon-born Baker. “The boys have tried to put it behind us and deal with the situation as it is.

“The relaxed nature of the environment really helps from a neurological standpoint.”

Soon, Baker’s duties on the first day were over as he returned to another sporting event.

“If I take any longer the rest of the guys will blow up,” he said as he left the stage.

World Cup football was to watch.

About everything last week Ben Stokes surrounds the situationA dark week for English cricket.

It was a sunny day.