If, as many suspect, Emilio Gay makes his Test debut against New Zealand at Lord’s next month it’ll be a world away from his first taste of international cricket 18 months ago when he opened the batting for Italy against Tanzania in Uganda.
Gay, who qualified for Italy through his maternal grandfather, bossed that ICC World Cup Challenge 50-over encounter at the Entebbe Cricket Oval, scoring an unbeaten 96 from 84 balls.
Three more half-centuries in the tournament – against Hong Kong, Uganda and Singapore – followed. Another, in the Europe qualifier for the T20 World Cup eight months later, came against Scotland.
The 26-year-old did his part to help Italy reach this year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka but missed the tournament with a hamstring injury sustained on England Lions duty in Australia last winter.
For Gareth Berg, Gay’s former Northamptonshire team-mate and the Italy coach who persuaded him to tap into his Mediterranean roots, the left-hander’s current elevation to the brink of England Test selection is no surprise.
“I tried very hard for a couple of years to get him involved,” he tells The i Paper. “But he always thought Italian cricket was rubbish. Eventually he realised we were pushing for World Cup status.
“He came in and absolutely bossed it. He walked away saying those few months he played for us was one of the highlights of his career so far. It opened his eyes and certainly showed he had to learn some things outside of county cricket in order to develop his game.
“It was very clear in our first conversations about Italy – was it going to put his nose out of joint trying to make England? I had to reassure him on that front. But he also made it very clear the direction he wanted to move in was to play for England.”
Given Italy are not a full member of the International Cricket Council, Gay, whose father is from Grenada, is free to play for England – or the West Indies – immediately if selected.
That first foray into international cricket came in the winter of 2024, when Gay also made the move from Northants to Durham, home of Test captain Ben Stokes, that has proved transformational for his England prospects.
Now he is the frontrunner to replace Zak Crawley at the top of the order following a fine start to the season in which he has scored 473 runs, including three centuries, at 94.60.
Gay may currently be plying his trade in Division Two of the Championship – and batting at No 3 for Durham – but his form follows a 2025 summer in which the opener scored four Division One centuries and 954 runs overall.
“This is what he’s always wanted,” says Berg. “I would liken him to Dawid Malan, who was probably in many people’s eyes not the nicest guy but actually Dawy and myself are good mates. The reason I love Dawy is because of the hard work he’d put in. Those years of grafting stood him in good stead to play for England. I see that trait in Emilio. It’s exciting knowing that journey could potentially begin now for him.”
Speaking to those who know him, a picture of a confident, hard-working and highly ambitious player begins to emerge. Berg says Gay “worked his nuts off” to break into the Northants first-team as a teenager in 2019. David Ripley, the head coach who gave him that chance, adds: “It was his appetite. He was phenomenal. He would just go and have his own nets. He would do a lot of running to give himself an extra edge. He was just very committed.”
Confidence has been key to his rise. “Emilio’s always got that air about him,” says Berg. “He used to get a lot of stick from the opposition thinking he was arrogant. But there’s a difference between arrogance and assurance. He has that belief in himself. That stands him in good stead.”
Yet his self-assuredness hasn’t always gone down well. “It didn’t all go smoothly,” says Ripley. “He was very strong-willed and confident and that didn’t always come out well with other players. His first year in particular I remember being quite a tricky one in terms of finding his place in the group. But he went off into the second team and credit to Emilio for how he adapted. He found his way. It was a big year in his development. He grew as a person.”
For Ripley, there was never any doubt Gay would get to the top. “He said very early on he was going to play for England,” he says.“That drive is probably his strongest asset. He has challenged himself, moved county to give himself, in his view, a bigger audience. I guess it helps Ben Stokes is up there. I’m sure he would have thought about that. I’m pleased to see him doing so well.”
His Italian and Caribbean heritage has also shaped him. “He’s got his West Indian style, that sort of strut, loves being the man, talks a good game and that type of stuff,” says Berg. “And he’s got the Italian side where he’s big on his food and very passionate about things. You definitely see both aspects of his heritage easily.”
Like another left-handed opener in former England captain Sir Alastair Cook, Gay also went to Bedford School.
“If he plays for England he’ll not just want to play he’ll be wanting to chase down Sir Alastair’s stats,” says Ripley. “He’ll be going in to become someone that could play 70 or 80 Tests I’m sure. Why not?”
As for whether that opportunity will come later this month when England name their squad for the first Test against New Zealand, Berg says: “As a character I don’t think there’d be anyone better.”