Essex cricketer Graham Napier described as "the thrill of a lifetime" his shock call to Lord's to play for England against New Zealand in the ill-fated second Test match.
The promising Colchester and East Essex all-rounder was called into the match on Sunday afternoon as a substitute fielder for the injured Essex and England captain Nasser Hussain, who broke a finger while fielding in the Kiwis' first innings on Saturday.
Napier's Essex team-mate Ricky Anderson also received a call and enjoyed a cameo appearance on the field yesterday fielding as a substitute for England opener Mark Butcher.
"It was an unbelievable experience," said Napier yesterday.
"The atmosphere was totally different from that of a one-day final at Lord's and I wanted it to go on a lot longer. I've been to Lord's with Essex for a final and it was great to hear our fans cheering us on, but the whole place was buzzing yesterday.
"When my former England Under-19 team-mate Chris Read and Andy Caddick were batting in the morning the crowd really got right behind the team. The entire crowd was cheering to a man.
"It was an inspirational experience and I'll never forget it. Just walking through the Long Room and out on to the ground was a magnificent feeling and fielding alongside Alec Stewart, Mark Ramprakash and Graham Thorpe was tremendous in itself.
"Just being out there for 25 overs was an incredible experience and everyone treated me as though I had been a regular in the team for ages. Now I've got my England shirt as a keepsake."
Napier will join Essex team-mate Ian Flanagan this week to prepare for the England Under-19 matches against Australia at Canterbury and Chelmsford.
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