Mason Crane, England's forgotten man, on how to encourage spin bowling in the County Championship

It's a podcast with young men, so there's lots of top bantz, but in between Mason Crane - England, Hampshire, Sussex and now Glamorgan - has some interesting things to say about how we can encourage spin bowling in the County Championship.

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Julian Le Grand makes the case for universal basic capital: a £10k grant for every 18-year-old.

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"In 2021 four young English spinners - Dom Bess, Matt Parkinson, Mason Crane and Amar Virdi - were brought on the tour of India. Two and a half years later, Bess is the only member of the quartet to regularly command a first-team spot for their respective county sides in first-class cricket." The problems with English spin bowling go deeper than the wound in Moeen's finger, argues Yas Rana.

Leicestershire leg spinner Rehan Ahmed called up by England after three first-class games

The 18-year-old leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed has been called up to England's squad for the series against Pakistan after just three first-class games for Leicestershire.

As the Guardian points out, if he is selected for one of the three tests he will beat Brian Close's record to become the youngest ever England test player and also become the first Leicestershire player given an England test cap since James Taylor in 2011.

The paper also quotes the England coach Brendon McCullum:

"We know he’s not the finished article and has raw potential, but Ben, myself and the rest of the coaches like how he approaches his game. The experience of being part of the squad in Pakistan will be hugely beneficial for him, and he will add to the makeup of our squad."

McCullum's caution was being justified as he spoke. Ahmed recorded figures of none for 73 off eight overs today as England posted 501 for 7 against England Lions off only 79 overs. And older readers will remember Ian Salisbury being called up to the team unsuccessfully after joining the England party as a net bowler.

Still, it's easy to see what England like about Ahmed. He had a successful under-19 world cup, is quicker through the air than Matt Parkinson and scored a century in his third county championship game.

Sooner or later England will need a white-ball replacement for Adil Rashid, and it may be that role which Ahmed is really auditioning for this winter. You can see him in T20 action in the video above.

I wish him well, and like Adil Rashid and Mason Crane, he now has a label on this blog. I hope it will see many posts.

Cricket Badger: John Poysden's podcast on the art of slow bowling

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This blog loves spin bowling - leg spin in particular. Back in the late 1980s I sent to see Sussex play at Derby just because they had a young Ian Salisbury in their side.

And one of my more prophetic posts comes from 2006 when Adil Rashid made his debut for Yorkshire:

Won't it be nice if yesterday turns out to have been an historic day in English cricket?

Mind you, I also have a label for Mason Crane.

Another Yorkshire leg spinner, Josh Poysden, has started a podcast to explore the art of slow bowling. 

He has posted eight episodes so far, with guest including Dom Bess, Matt Parkinson and Stuart MacGill.

Listen to Spin Badger here.

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Danny Gibbs thinks England leg spin prospect Mason Crane has the potential to be special: "Crane bowls in a very natural, fluent motion, where the ball looks like it glides out of the hand, even though there are significant revolutions on the ball itself. Upon reaching its apex, the ball drops very sharply. Only natural wrist spinners can flight the ball like this."

Hamidullah Qadri: the future of English spin?

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This blog takes an interest in the emergence of young English spin bowlers. Both Adil Rashid and Mason Crane featured here early in their careers.

Today's Guardian introduced us to another bright prospect:

Last month Hamidullah Qadri did much more than become the first person born in the 21st century to play county cricket when, at the age of 16, he was picked for Derbyshire against Glamorgan. 

Qadri did much more than inspire Derbyshire to their first four-day victory in two years when, as an off-spinner, he opened the bowling in the final innings of a match which ended as he took his fifth wicket amid excitement and joy. 

He did much more than explain why Iain O’Brien, who played 22 Tests for New Zealand, calls him The Magician.

Qadri has since been called up to the England under-19 one day squad.

Why is the thought of a new England spinner so enticing?

In part it is because really good ones are so rare. In my long cricket-watching careering England have had precisely two consistent match-winning spinners: Derek Underwood and Graeme Swann.

And in part it's because it is good to craft and guile triumphing over strength and power in the modern game.

But I think it is also because one of my favourite cricket memories is Phil Edmonds' debut against Australia at Headingley in 1975. He took 5-28 in Australia's first innings and they were skittled for 135. (England did not win: the game was abandoned after protesters vandalised the pitch overnight.)

Edmonds was about the first young player I saw being picked for England. In those days a batsman could be promising at 30 and the selectors specialised in recalling former players. Both Ted Dexter and M,J.K Smith, who might as well have batted with dinosaurs, reappeared in the test side.

So as long as there are young England spinners, I will not feel entirely old myself.

Mason Crane bowls the ball of the 21st century

Ball of the century...? pic.twitter.com/iAhbnJ3Y8h

— County Championship (@CountyChamp) May 28, 2017

Today Mason Crane took 5-40 to help Hampshire beat Somerset and confirm his potential.

He also produced what will probably turn out to the ball of the 21st century. There aren't many bowlers who can turn it square and york someone with the same delivery.

Mason Crane becomes New South Wales' first overseas player for 30 years

THE spell of the #NorthSouth Series?@masoncrane32 took 4-1 in 10 balls! pic.twitter.com/fEobrkiXcf

— ECB🏏 (@ECB_cricket) March 23, 2017

"It is hard not to be excited at the prospect of a young leg spinner in the England test team," I wrote towards the end of the 2015 season.

That young leg spinner was Mason Crane of Hampshire and remarkable things have happened to him since then.

Crane played 12 County Championship matches and took 49 wickets, albeit that they were a little on the expensive side at 45 runs each.

This winter he was sent to play grade cricket for Gordon District Cricket Club in Australia.

There he excelled, taking seven wickets in an innings three times. So well did he bowl that he was picked for New South Wales.

True, the state's best two spinners, Nathan Lyon and Stephen O'Keefe, were playing for Australia in India. But Crane became the first overseas player to be picked for New South Wales since Imran Khan in 1984/5.

Most recently he has being playing for South against North in the slightly odd series of three one-day games that the ECB has arranged in Dubai.

In the last of them he took four wickets for one run to remove the North middle order and win the game.

All very promising. If Crane does go on to have a serious test career, remember you read about him here first.

Building up Mason Crane

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This blog has long taken an interest in the career of the Yorkshire leg spinner Adil Rashid. He will either make his England test debut against Pakistan in Sharjah later this year or never make it at all.

So it may be time to start talking up the next prospect: Hampshire's Mason Crane.

Cricinfo described his impact on a game earlier this year:

Mason Crane bamboozled Warwickshire to become the youngest Hampshire player to take a County Championship five wicket haul on Day Two at the Ageas Bowl. 

Leg spinner Crane, who is 18 and 171 days, beat Alex Kennedy's 106-year record by 21 days as he posted figures of 5 for 35. This is only his second first-class match after making his debut against Durham last month.

Already that sage judge Steve Harmison has called for him to be picked for England this winter.

I suppose one should counsel caution - I know there is a view at Sussex that Ian Salisbury was doing fine until the England coaching set up got hold of him - but it is hard not to be excited at the prospect of a young leg spinner in the England test team.

And if you want to feel old, turn to this report in the Southern Daily Echo:

As an eight-year-old only child glued to the 2005 Ashes series, Shoreham-born Crane was inspired by Warne’s mesmerising performances that summer. 

He has been hooked on leg-spin ever since.