Quick bowler goes from T20 debut in June to international call-up just 70 days later
Vithushan Ehantharajah17-Aug-2023There is much to be said for John Turner’s call-up for England’s four-match T20I series with New Zealand. But perhaps the most relevant jumping-off point is the speed in which this latest pace talent has been fast-tracked.There were just 70 days between his debut in the format outright for Hampshire – taking 3 for 30 against Middlesex – and Tuesday’s call from national selector Luke Wright. The in-between has been packed; 21 Vitality Blast wickets, deliveries logged above 90mph, impressions made on England scouts, and a Hundred debut on Monday in which he bowled Jonny Bairstow for his maiden dismissal for Trent Rockets. A 22-year-old’s life is rarely slow-moving, but even Turner acknowledges the fast-forward of the last two months has been “unbelievable”.That’s certainly how it was for his parents, who live in Johannesburg, South Africa, where Turner was born. He possesses a British passport through his mother, born in Zambia to English parents – her father was working for the British Government at the time. Both thought something was wrong when Turner called in disbelief before worrying someone was playing an elaborate joke on their son.”When I told them they were shocked, they didn’t have any words … probably similar to my reaction when Luke Wright phoned me,” Turner says. “They were shocked but obviously at the same time really proud and really happy.”Turner had a vague idea something like this was in the offing. Hampshire director of cricket Giles White and bowling coach Graeme Welch gave him a heads-up that a national scout would be watching him against Sussex (he took 2 for 30). England’s interest had been piqued last year, when Turner took 20 wickets in the 2022 One-Day Cup. Good pace, and surprising bounce from a high release point meant Turner’s name was added to a list of prospective talents last month, as soon as he had served the required residency period to satisfy the ECB’s selection criteria.John Turner celebrates a wicket for Hampshire•Getty ImagesThat period began at the end of 2020 after the UK re-opened its borders following the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Turner reckons that strange era in which life came to an abrupt halt may have convinced his father to let him see if he could make it in the game.”It took a lot of convincing for them to let me come over and pursue cricket here,” Turner says. “It was probably during Covid my dad was like, ‘you know what, go over, give it a go – if it’s a year or two and it doesn’t work out, it’s fine’. Then probably the end of 2021, 2022, is when he started realising I might actually be good enough to make cricket a profession.”Turner’s part of the agreement was to attend Exeter University to study Economics and Finance by way of curricular insurance. Now the progression of his extra-curricular pursuit has created some uncertainty over his third year, which was due to commence in September.The move over to the UK came with no guarantees but was far from a punt. Current Gloucestershire coach Dale Benkenstein was Turner’s head of cricket at Hilton College in South Africa, and had ties at Hampshire following a stint as the club’s head coach. “He was the link and kind of got us in contact,” explains Turner. “I did two weeks at Hampshire while still at school, kind of to see what professional cricket was like and for them to see me. And since then, they were always interested.”He initially joined Hampshire as a triallist for the first half of the 2021 season, moving onto the staff when that summer’s Royal London Cup came around. It was in that competition he took his maiden professional wicket – none other than Sir Alastair Cook, caught at midwicket.”Probably not my greatest ball,” he jokes. Nevertheless, it remained a favourite, though Monday’s now offers competition: “Jonny Bairstow the other night, the top of off, was pretty cool. Whenever I hit the stumps, I enjoy that – anything that’s stumps-related and they fly out of the ground.”Stumps out of the ground, the fast bowler’s calling card. Except Turner doesn’t quite have the full-blown speedster’s ego purveyed by the likes of Dale Steyn, who happens to be his idol. Partly because even pushing the speed gun to the upper eighties and beyond is a new development.”It’s a good question,” he answers when asked when he became aware of his speed, “because I still struggle to think that I am [quick].Related
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“I think it’s probably early this year; everything, action-wise, has clicked. I was decent pace last year and the year before but nothing to get me selected just pace-wise. I did a lot of work with Graeme Welch, my bowling coach at Hampshire – we did one or two things action-wise and I think timings and all of that has just come to fruition now, and everything is kind of clicking.”Even these stellar performances in the shortest format are a bit of a surprise. Turner’s metronomic ability to hit a length – Benkenstein often compares him to Australian great Glenn McGrath – meant he was always earmarked for the red ball. To date, he has just three first-class appearances, against a Sri Lanka Development XI last year, and two County Championship fixtures this summer, with 10 wickets at 10.50 overall. Naturally, the appetite is to establish himself across all formats.”Going back to what Dale Benkenstein said, he’s never seen me as a white-ball player and I’ve probably never really seen myself as a white-ball player. So to break into the T20 side first at Hampshire, that wasn’t really the goal for the season. It was more the red-ball stuff. And now for England, that’s obviously something I never saw coming. But I think long-term-wise I’d look all formats.”By his own assessment, the extra bounce, hitting the bats harder than most and the accuracy – ergo, an ability to nail specific deliveries at the start and end of an innings – is what has worked well for him so far. And clearly there is a lust for the tough moments, which Turner explains as a desire to “make a difference”.”I think I quite enjoy pressure situations, for instance, the Hundred game the other night, being given the ball to bowl the last set, I really enjoyed that. Strangely, I felt really calm in that situation, a lot calmer than I thought I would have.”Perhaps at another time, Turner might not have been drafted into the England set-up so soon. These T20Is have a dual purpose: for those in the 50-over World Cup squad to tune up before easing their workloads in September, while offering a chance to assess England’s bench strength, particularly their pace alternatives such as Turner, fellow uncapped quick Gus Atkinson and left-armer Luke Wood, with more established names like Chris Jordan and Tymal Mills overlooked for now.As much as Turner’s story carries aspects of serendipity, none of this has happened by accident. His rapid emergence is the product of hard work, risk and abundant talent. If anything, it is England who should count themselves lucky.