Tom Hartley believes his Test tour of India could be a “life changing” experience as he plots a path from international newcomer to England regular.
The Lancashire spinner was a gut-feel selection for the trip, with his high release point, brisk pace and skiddy trajectory trumping a thin first-class record.
Despite losing the series 4-1, Hartley more than justified the call. Ending the series as the second-highest wicket-taker with 22, beaten only by the masterful Ravichandran Ashwin, the left-armer also sent down more overs than any other bowler as Ben Stokes sent him into action on 250 occasions.
There was an unforgettable high in Hyderabad, where his second-innings haul of seven for 62 delivered one England’s greatest ever overseas victories, and the 24-year-old is beginning to adjust his own ambitions as he targets more of the same.
“I know that game will be remembered for a very long time. I think it probably will be life changing,” he told the PA news agency.
“Every so often I’ll see a clip and I’m still surprised. I almost have have to pinch myself like, ‘Wow, that’s what I did!’. The more time passes the more it settles in. My mum went out the day after and bought every paper going, so I’ve got a little folder which will be nice to look back on one day.
“But doing what I did has changed my perspective on what sort of player I can be. I’ve got a long way to go and I can still get a lot better but I know my ceiling has got a lot higher.
“I enjoyed it so much and now I just want to want to keep playing Test cricket. It’s a great environment and a great dressing room to be in. Everyone wants to be part of that and so do I.”
Hartley has already noticed his profile growing as a result of his winter exploits. He made the short journey from Emirates Old Trafford to South Manchester CC to take part in the ECB’s ‘Get Set Weekend’, helping other volunteers prepare the ground for the new season, and found himself the star attraction for a host of aspiring club players.
Hartley was turning out for Ormskirk in the Liverpool and District Premier League as recently as July 2022 and hopes his rapid rise through the ranks can motivate more to make the same journey.
“It was lovely to get down and help out at the club, but it was a bit weird too… so many kids know my name now, everyone there had heard of what I did,” he said.
“What happened to me was so amazing and I hope that is an inspiration to other cricketers out there, it shows things can happen fast if you keep believing. It’s a great story and I hope people see that and keep on going.”
In the short term, Hartley faces a fresh challenge in the form of Nathan Lyon. The Australia great has signed an all-format overseas deal with Lancashire this summer, which could squeeze the Englishman out of the side at the start of the season.
Rather than rail against the competition, he plans to use Lyon’s vast bank of knowledge to his advantage.
“Of course it’s tough to play two spinners but Nathan is someone I really want to learn off,” he said.
“Whatever happens he’s a great mentor and I’m more than happy to watch him bowl for a week or two. The things he does well are the things I want to get better at: he’s so good on flat pitches, he gets lots of over-spin and changes his pace.
“Hopefully he’ll have plenty of tips for me because I’ll be all eyes and ears.”
:: Tom Hartley was talking at the Get Set Weekend, powered by the Cricket Collective, a nationwide ECB initiative to celebrate volunteers across the club game.
Salt century gives England winning start to West Indies T20 series
Phil Salt hit a superb century as England drew first blood in their T20 series against West Indies, with a commanding eight-wicket victory at the Kensington Oval.
Salt's unbeaten 103 off 54 balls was the highlight for the tourists, who successfully chased down their target of 183 with 19 balls to spare.
The West Indies endured a difficult start and were reduced to 18-3 and later 117-8, with Saqib Mahmood (4-34) and Adil Rashid (3-32) doing the damage.
However, the hosts managed 65 runs in the last 5.2 overs to finish at 182-8, with Gukadesh Motie knocking 33 off 14 balls along the way.
Salt kick-started England's chase with 50 off just 25 deliveries taking them to 73-1 after six overs, with Will Jacks (17) dismissed with the final ball of the powerplay.
Jos Buttler's first match after four months out lasted just three minutes, as the skipper was caught by Motie for a golden duck.
However, it proved a false dawn for West Indies, with Salt and Jacob Bethall (58 from 36 balls) safely steering England to victory.
Data Debrief: Salt completes hat-trick of hundreds as Bethell makes historic half-century
England put their disappointing ODI series behind them, making history with the highest T20 chase at the Kensington Oval.
Salt was the hero with his third T20I century, all of which have come against West Indies in the past 12 months.
Bethell also made history on Saturday. Aged 21 years and 17 days, he become the youngest England player to score a 50 in a T20I.
Asalanka leads Sri Lanka to ODI series win over West Indies
Sri Lanka wrapped up the ODI series against the West Indies with a five-wicket victory in Pallekele.
The hosts successfully chased down their opponents' total of 189, giving them an unassailable 2-0 in the three-match series.
Sri Lanka controlled the early powerplay - Asitha Fernando (3-35) and Maheesh Theekshana (3-25) took two wickets apiece to leave the tourists at 31-4 in the ninth over.
Wanindu Hasaranga (4-40) then claimed three of his four wickets as Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh and Alzarri Joseph were all dismissed in the space of 14 balls.
However, Sherfane Rutherford (80 off 82 balls) and Gudakesh Motie (50 not out) steadied the ship to take the Windies from 58-8 to 189.
Although Joseph claimed Avishka Fernando (9) in the fourth over, Nishan Madushka and Sadeera Samarawickrama both chipped in with contributions of 38 to get the hosts to 112-4.
Skipper Charith Asalanka (62 not out) led the charge thereon, while Kamindu Mendis (11) comfortably got them over the line with 34 balls remaining.
Data Debrief: Rutherford-Motie historic stand proves academic for tourists
West Indies were looking to level the series, but their hopes were not aided by Sri Lanka's impressive bowling.
Rutherford and Motie did their best. Their partnership brought 119 runs, which is their nation's highest ninth-wicket stand in ODI history, breaking the previous record of 85 between Yannic Cariah and Alzarri Joseph.
However, it ultimately proved in vain as the hosts secured the series with a game to spare.
'I was a tired, grumpy old man' - Stokes apologised to England team-mates after Pakistan defeat
Ben Stokes says he apologised to his England team-mates after his frustrations were evident during the second-Test defeat by Pakistan.
The hosts levelled the three-Test series on Thursday after wrapping up a 152-run win in Multan.
However, it could have been a different story but for fielding errors at crucial stages for the visitors, Jamie Smith and Joe Root notably dropping catches to dismiss Salman Agha, whose subsequent knock of 63 helped Pakistan seal victory with a day to spare.
Stokes, who returned to action following a hamstring injury, could not hide his frustration during a difficult day for England, but insisted he would not let his emotions get the better of him again.
"No one means to drop catches, but it just proves how important catches are in these subcontinent conditions, they don't come along that often," he told Sky Sports.
"I actually apologised to the group last night. It's the first time in my captaincy that I've let my emotions and how I was feeling with the way the game was unfolding show in my body language.
"I owned up to that and was very annoyed at myself for letting that out. It's something that I don't want to do or be seen to be doing, so I apologised to the group about that.
"Poor old me, I was a tired, grumpy old man last night! You won't see that happen again."
However, England coach Brendon McCullum defended the actions of his skipper.
"We all know how passionate Ben is, how much it means for him to play for England," he said.
"We've seen that through his bloody-mindedness to get back from injury, which was significant, and to do so in a nine-week timeframe and to have his first TM [Test match] in extreme conditions, 40 degrees, and be able to give what he gave to the side.
"I think, maybe, that's where some of that frustration led to - certainly, it wasn't directed at any of the players. It was more about trying to assess the rhythm of the game, and to impact on it."
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