[VIDEOS] Josh Hull: From rugby enthusiast to cricket sensation

[FearlessRoar]

Joshua Owen Hull is an English cricketer who is a left-arm fast medium bowler. He plays for Leicestershire County Cricket Club in domestic cricket. In October 2022, he signed a two-year deal with Leicestershire after taking 28 wickets for the academy team during the 2022 season.

Hull was born on 20 August 2004 in Huntingdon and was educated at Stamford School. He had wanted to pursue a career in rugby until breaking his right arm at the age of 15. From a farming family, during the Covid lockdown of 2020, his grandmother had a barn converted into a temporary cricket net where he and his brother Ollie could practise.

In March 2024, he cited Mitchell Starc as being a player he enjoyed watching and would like to emulate as a bowler. Hull made his first-class debut on 6 April 2023, for Leicestershire against Yorkshire in the County Championship and finished the match with bowling figures of 4/132.

He made his List A debut on 3 August 2023, against Surrey in the One-Day Cup, and his Twenty20 debut on 2 June 2023, against Northamptonshire in the T20 Blast. In August 2024, having made only 10 first-class appearances, Hull was included in the England Test squad ahead of the second of a three-match home series against Sri Lanka.

He was also made part of the England one-day and T20 squads set to face Australia that autumn. He was selected ahead of Matthew Potts for the final Test against Sri Lanka at the Oval, beginning on 6 September, when he was presented with his cap by Andrew Flintoff.

England's ninth-youngest Test debutant, former England Test captain Mike Atherton commented that he was "as young and raw a fast bowler ever to have played for England". Having been identified by Brendon McCullum as "rough diamond", the England head coach explained before the game that Hull was picked for his future potential, and that he saw the player as "someone who is worth investing in" whatever his performance in the match.

Hull's maiden Test wicket came on 7 September from his 15th delivery, with Chris Woakes taking a catch to help dismiss Pathum Nissanka.

 

[FearlessRoar]

Decent control, good pace. Few tweaks, one of which is to use his height better in delivery like Jofra does…

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[Ahmed216]

Bowling action is so similar to Wagner. Must be about 8-9 inches taller

 

[FearlessRoar]

England vs Sri Lanka: Josh Hull shows promise on Test debut with Stuart Broad and Ricky Ponting impressed​

As Josh Hull prepared for his England debut, much of the talk centred on the enormity of his feet and first-class bowling average.

The 20-year-old left-arm seamer with size 15 boots had taken his 16 red-ball wickets for Leicestershire at an unremarkable 62.75. In Division Two of this season's County Championship, he had struck twice in three matches at an uninspiring 182.50.

But England care little for these sorts of statistics when it comes to choosing bowlers. They pick on potential. Josh Tongue's selection proved that. So did the inclusions of spinners Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir. Hull now the same.

"County cricket and Test cricket are probably slightly different games," said head coach Brendon McCullum when discussing Hull's selection for the third and final Test against Sri Lanka.

"If we were putting together a county side it would look a little bit different to what it looks in the Test side.

"What we are trying to achieve is bringing in guys we see as rough diamonds with an incredibly high ceiling into an environment where we can shape them and give them opportunities, hasten the process of them getting to the level we think they can get to."

It is early days but Hull showed in his opening burst at The Kia Oval, which included the wicket of Pathum Nissanka, that he is a "rough diamond" who may just glimmer for years to come

The statistics of Hull's England do pay attention to are his 6ft 7in frame - or 6ft heaps as McCullum described it ahead of the Test - and that he can bowl towards 90mph, key traits as they ultimately plot how to win the Ashes in Australia in a couple of winters' time.

Hull reached 87mph during his five-over stint on Saturday but also moved the ball, leaving the Sky Sports pundits encouraged.

"I have been really impressed," said Stuart Broad. "He has been picked on attributes. His height, his bounce, getting the ball to swing back into the right-handed batter.

"An average of 83mph is fine in Test match cricket but he will get quicker the older he gets. I think his run-up will evolve over time. I don't think it will stay as long as it is at the moment.

"His knees go forward rather than up so he doesn't have the dynamic approach that you might want, so maybe that's why his run-up is so long.

"The big thing for me is that his feet and hips are facing the target - he is aligned really nicely to make the batters play.

"His front arm also moves nicely and he has a braced front leg so gets a good flow through his action. That's where the best fast bowlers generally get their pace from.

"Ultimately his biggest strength is that he is left-arm. All teams are desperate to have that in their armoury."

"He could. He reminds me slightly of Mitchell Johnson with that slingy action so he could get that bowling arm closer to the ear and deliver from higher.

"But you have to be able to do that and not lose the swing as that is a great threat of his.

"The slingy action might not be a negative. It might not allow you to get the bounce you would like but you can get the ball to skid on."

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting:

"I definitely like what I saw [but] I think there will be some refinement to his action over the years.

"His bowling action is so long that he loses a bit of his height. In this game, it is quite often bounce that gets better players out, not always express pace."

England vs Sri Lanka: Josh Hull shows promise on Test debut with Stuart Broad and Ricky Ponting impressed

Stuart Broad impressed as 6ft 7in left-arm seamer Josh Hull, 20, makes England debut against Sri Lanka; rough diamond from Leicestershire picks up wicket and reaches 87mph - watch day three of third Test live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.15am, Sunday (11am first ball)

www.skysports.com

 

[FearlessRoar]

Hull's release points are quite low for a bowler of his height