Josh Hull was one of the headliners of England Lions’ victory over Sri Lanka last month, the Leicestershire left-armer, towering at 6ft 7in, rewarded with a Test call-up after taking five wickets in the match. But the real story? That belonged to Zaman Akhter and the South Asian Cricket Academy.
Akhter, another hulking fast bowler, took seven wickets for the Lions, the best display of a career ignited by the Academy a little over 18 months ago. At 23 he’d already played first-class cricket for Oxford MCCU and been on the second-XI merry-go-round with Derbyshire, Warwickshire and Essex. He had searched for that thing everyone needs: a chance. The Academy offered it.
