20-year-old all-rounder Josh Hull will make his England Test debut on Friday after being selected for the summer final against Sri Lanka at The Oval. Hull replaced Matt Potz, the only change from the side that secured last week’s series win at Lords. It was a surprising gamble from the 6ft 7in left-hander, who has played in just nine county championships in his career and made three appearances in that time. The Leicestershire international has taken two wickets this summer at an average of 182.50. He enters high school after taking five wickets for England Lions against Sri Lanka last month, which became the most successful match of his first-class career, earning him a call-up to the Test squad after Mark Wood missed due to injury.
He could make his international debut in all three formats in the space of two weeks as he has been named in the T20 and ODI squad against Australia in the first match at Southampton next Wednesday. “He’s got a great ceiling and he’s really big, which is very useful as a bowler,” said Ollie Pope, whose England captaincy is expected to end after this match. “If you’re 2 feet tall and can hit 85 or 90 miles an hour and have a little left-handed swing, there’s a lot to enjoy.
Hull’s selection continues England’s trend of selecting young bowlers since Brendon McCullum was appointed coach in 2022. His debut coincided with that of Rehan Ahmed and Shoaib Bashir, who were playing Test cricket for England later that year , at the age of 18 years and 126 days, when he was selected to play against Pakistan in Karachi to play. The 20-year-old, who made his India debut in February, is expected to feature in all six Tests this summer. Hull will go into the first Test with more first-class experience than Rehan, who has played just three games, or Bashir, who has played six. His selection for the Lions match last month means he is one of the favorites to face the Oval on Friday as the Sri Lanka XI has seen Hull play before. “He performed really well in that game,” said opener Dimuth Karunaratne.
“We were a little slow in the first half, but there was a lot of swing and bounce and we played really well in the second half. We’ve played it before so we have a plan and that’s a plus for us. .Karunaratne said he was not surprised that England still gambled on the teenager after watching Bashir’s progress. “It is based on people,” he said. “The captain and coaches are a great sign of believing in all the players. In turn, they also give young people some confidence. Since I was captain, I like the juniors better. If you are good enough to play for England, you don’t need to play much first-class cricket. “If you do well, you’ll have a chance to compete,” he said.
England’s first training session at The Oval took place less than three days after the second Test at Lord’s and, like all sessions, was optional. Joe Root, Ben Duckett and Gus Atkinson all missed recovery priorities. That match. Several players and coaches visited St George’s Cathedral in Southwark to attend Graham Thorpe’s funeral, where Root and Ben Stokes were pallbearers.
