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Josh Hull was beaming. At the Oval, he was surrounded by his team-mates, who ruffled his hair as they celebrated. Standing next to each other on the team balcony, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum beamed with joy at the thought of another unorthodox selection being justified.
Hull got his first Test wicket. He may not have had the chance to do it in the way he would have thought: a powerful drive into the covers rather than behind the wicket. No matter. He could be happy with his first Test wicket for England, a feat only 415 men before him have achieved.
Looking down from the top of the JM Finn Stand, Hull parents Tony and Antonia reflected on all the sacrifices that have allowed their son to play Test cricket. The inherited love of the game; the ferry trips across the country to play youth matches; the barn in which, during the pandemic, they had allowed Josh and his younger brother to play.
Every Test cap is both an individual and family triumph. “It’s so nice to have the family there to show that as well, because I’m a parent myself and I know how much you do for your kids,” said Andrew Flintoff as he presented Hull with his Test cap on the first morning of the Test. “Driving them around and taking them places, but also the stress of watching your kids play.”
Aged 20, and despite a record of 16 wickets at an average of 62.9 in first-class cricket, Hull’s selection was a confirmation of his potential: his cocktail of 6ft 10in height, left-arm angle and swing. But it was also a nod to England’s Test history.
Sixteen left-handed fast bowlers took 100 wickets; not a single Englishman among them, Bill Voce’s 98 being a national record. In English conditions, accurate swing and right-arm bowling generally sufficed.
Where bowlers have less help from the weather, left-arm variety is sought after. India and Pakistan have each produced three left-handed bowlers to take 100 Test wickets, Wasim Akram probably the best of them. Australia have four such bowlers, the most of any country: Mitchell, Starc and Johnson, Alan Davidson and Bruce Reid.
Hull’s first five overs in Test cricket provided a glimpse into why England have not been troubled by their disappointing domestic statistics. Coming into the attack in the 12th over, from the Pavillion End, was ideal: the period when this Dukes’ ball tends to oscillate the most.
In throwing the ball down the wicket, Hull adopted the classic left-handed line of attack against right-handers: he angles the ball upwards and then returns it. Even though he was being pushed on both sides of the wicket, Hull continued to throw the ball upwards, generating swing. For a left-hander, their angle of attack means that the off-swinging pitches can be the most dangerous of all, if the batsmen are playing for a return swing towards them that fails to materialise. After several balls had been returned to Pathum Nissanka, Hull’s wicket came with a pitch that did not swing, but instead veered away from Nissanka as he leaned towards a drive.
With such a bold selection, crudeness was expected. Hull made the mistake of bowling too full and too short, and offered too much width outside off stump. While he was clocked at 87mph, Hull’s average speed was 82.8mph, which dropped during his spell of five overs; his final delivery was just 81mph.
For all the excitement about Hull’s height, his action does not maximise these natural attributes. By moving back a little in the crease, Hull’s average release point was recorded as 2.05 metres, the same height. For context, Steve Harmison, who was 1.90m tall, had an average release point of 2.24 metres, or 2.20m, which allowed him to gain an extra foot on his natural height through his action, rather than throwing at the same height. England will hope that Hull can make more use of his height, generating a higher release point; it remains to be seen whether he can do so without sacrificing his swing. The length of his run-up was also highlighted by Stuart Broad during his Sky Sports commentary.
The first questions are natural about such an experimental choice; for Hull to drop a simple catch from Dhananjaya de Silva at mid-pitch was an unwelcome outcome to his first-wicket day. Yet England’s approach is to focus on how players can improve, not on their limitations. If Josh Hull’s first match in international cricket showed the development he will need to forge a long Test career, it also contained ample clues about the reasons for England’s faith.
