Age:19 Team: Manchester Originals Role:Left-arm fast bowler
Standing at 6ft 7in, left-armer Josh Hull, who has been signed by Manchester Originals, is an intimidating presence for batters even at such a young age.
The teenager took a wicket with the fourth ball of his first-class debut for Leicestershire against Yorkshire in April 2023.
Later that summer he successfully defended eight runs in the last over of the 2023 One-Day Cup final as Leicestershire beat Hampshire by two runs.
Hull, who says he wants to emulate Australia left-armer Mitchell Starc, has already been name-checked by England managing director Rob Key, who is keen to develop a clutch of fast bowlers ahead of the next Ashes tour in 2025-26.
“We have earmarked people. We are keeping a good eye on Josh Hull as that left-armer,” said Key in his recent press conference after naming the squad for the West Indies Test series.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph earlier in the summer, Key said: “I don’t care how many wickets you take – I want to know how hard you are running in, how hard you are hitting the pitch and are you able to sustain pace at 85-88mph?”
Talking to BBC Sport, former West Indies T20 captain Carlos Brathwaite said: “There is a lot to like about him. There’s an ease to his run up and everything looks effortless.
“He has all the attributes – he’s tall, rhythmic and he’s got the pace.
“He needs to learn to understand about himself and what type of bowler he wants to be. He’ll learn that by playing high-level cricket and this is the perfect platform for him.”