Yet he also represented England Lions in Sri Lanka’s only warm-up match, and took five for 74 across two innings. Dimuth Karunaratne, a veteran of 93 Tests opening the batting, said he bowled “really, really well”.
The rise of Hull, a farmer’s son, has been remarkable. Two summers ago, he was playing school cricket, having been overlooked by Northamptonshire.
The former England fast bowler Dean Headley (whose grandfather, the great West Indies batsman George Headley, was playing in Voce’s debut) coached Hull at Stamford School, and was involved in getting him to Leicestershire.
Hull made his debut in all three formats there last summer, including performing well in the MetroBank One-Day Cup final at Trent Bridge. It is not hard to see how he caught England’s eye so quickly.
“He’s 6ft 7in, he’s got size 15 feet or something, he finds it hard to get bowling boots,” Headley said on the Sky Cricket podcast this week.
“He’s strong, like farmer’s stock strong. He’s very coachable, and has a massive appetite to learn. Well, he’s a got a massive appetite as well. He eats like there’s no tomorrow and I think he’s still growing, to be honest.”
Ollie Pope, who is captain this week and also made his debut at 20, said: “When you’re 6ft 7in, you can get it down, pushing up to the 85-90mph mark, with a bit of swing and the left-arm angle, there’s a lot to like.”
Hull, according to Headley, is “quiet, but confident in himself”.
At training on Wednesday, he stuck close to James Anderson, England’s fast-bowling mentor who was phased out of the attack in the sweep of regeneration that has included Hull being called up.
England’s cricket team plays Afghanistan today, and let’s not mince words – it’s an absolute disgrace. It’s an embarrassment to the sport, a stain on
Afghanistan vs England ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Live Score: Afghanistan and England face off in a must win game. Australia and South Africa won their first gam
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England captain Jos Buttler thanked the ECB for proceeding with their 2025 Champions Trophy match against Afghanistan despite boycott calls over the co