Baker emerged as a top bowling prospect for England over the past season after a strong campaign with the Lions in Australia and followed it up with some impressive performances in The Hundred.
His name was even being tossed around as a potential surprise inclusion in the upcoming Ashes squad.
However, his first shot at international cricket did not go according to plan for the 22-year-old, who was included in the team for England’s first ODI against South Africa at the start of September.
He was dismissed for a first-ball duck as England were bowled out for a paltry 131 before he opened the bowling and was dismantled by Aiden Markram, conceding 76 runs from his seven overs – more than half the total the Proteas were chasing.
“It was obviously not exactly how I’d planned my debut going,” Baker said, according to ESPNcricinfo.
“Not all good experiences are enjoyable experiences… At the time, I was thinking, ’15 an over for my first three or four overs is not what I had in mind!’
“But in the long run, it’ll be a good thing… The next one will definitely be better than that – or hopefully!
“Jof [Jofra Archer] came over from cover to mid-off and was like, ‘How’s your heart rate, bud?’
“But from an emotional management point of view, I actually felt okay at the time, all things considered. There was so much going on that I didn’t really have time to register, ‘Oh no, this is really not going how I wanted it to.’ It was like, ‘Well, I’ve just got to get on with it and deal with it.’
“Overall, I was obviously a little bit disappointed after the series, because it’s not how you want your first game to go. I had a bit of time to reflect, but bounced back fairly quickly after that because I knew I was obviously in for this [tour].”
Baker also struggled on his return to international cricket in England’s third T20I against Ireland on Sunday.
Once again opening the bowling, he was dispatched for 52 runs in his four overs as Ireland set a total of 154/8 from their 20 overs.
