England Head Coach Brendon McCullum was over the moon with Tom Hartley’s excellent bowling performance against India. Despite his limited first-class experience, the 24-year-old showed his mettle in his debut in Hyderabad.
Although he had a disappointing first-innings performance, giving two sixes in his opening over and bowling 2-131 in 25 overs, he bounced back with a match-winning effort in the second innings, getting seven wickets in just 26.2 overs surrendering only 62 runs. Hartley picked up important wickets including Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rohit Sharma, and Shubman Gill.
Speaking on SENZ Radio, Brendon McCullum heaped praise on Tom Hartley for his brilliant bowling against India, going into detail about his selection for the first test despite his limited first-class appearances, and lauded his tough character in the game. He also revealed that the players have taken a lot of confidence from the victory, but expects the home side to fight back hard in the next game.
“Tom Hartley on debut, who has only played a handful of first-class games stepped up with the bowl. It was a punt selection, We saw something in him that we thought will work over here. He is a tough character and the way the skipper handled him was quite remarkable as well. He obviously bowled us to the Test win”.
“There are so many different emotions. Guys have taken a lots of confidence with the Hyderabad win but we also know that it is a long series and we got some work to do. India will bounce back strong but we certainly celebrated last night.
“When we picked Tom, people raised their eyebrows but let’s not forget Nathan Lyon only played a handful of first-class cricket averaging 40 odd when he first got picked for the Test team for Australia,” Brendon McCullum said.
Aside from his outstanding second-inning bowling effort, the Left-arm spinner excelled with the bat, scoring 23 and 34 in two innings. After a disastrous run in Test cricket, the tandem took over as captain and coach in mid-2022, and the team hasn’t looked back since. England has won 14 of the 19 Tests and has yet to lose a series under their leadership.
Shoaib Bashir Also Come To Calculation For The Next Test Match – Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum stated that another young Shoaib Bashir has pleased everyone with his skill set and believes that his addition to the squad will benefit the team for the remainder of the series and that he will also be considered for a berth in the playing 11 for the second test.
“He was obviously with us in the camp in Abu Dhabi and he was really impressed with his skill sets. He fits in the group. He again like Tom Hartley has little first-class experience but we thought his skill could help us in here”.
“He turned up at a perfect time. The guys gave him a huge cheer and he witness the Test win. He also comes to the calculation for the next Test match. We won’t be afraid to play all spinners if the wickets will turn more,” Brendon McCullum added.
The 20-year-old landed in Hyderabad on the fourth day of the first Test and joined his teammates at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium. Due to visa concerns, the spinner was unable to accompany the team when they returned from their training camp in Abu Dhabi last weekend.
The right-arm spinner is expected to play a key role in the remainder of the five-test series in India, where conditions are ideal for spin bowlers.