“I’ve seen a few things on Twitter asking if I actually exist,” jokes John Turner. This week, fifteen months after his initial call-up and after five England squads, he finally got his debut in Antigua.
Brandon King made his debut on Thursday, and Jordan Cox superbly caught his dazzling drive at backward point on Saturday to claim the opening wicket.
“I have really enjoyed being involved in the last few months, but now getting the opportunity to actually play is really exciting,” says Turner. “To get your first wicket is really cool and is probably a moment I’ll never forget.”
Turner, one of the original members of England’s “pace project,” entered the spotlight last year when the England squad called him up just 70 days after he made his professional debut for Hampshire. Since then, the ECB has backed up their gamble by giving Turner a new 12-month development contract.
“I think the whole ‘pace project’, as they call it, is really exciting,” Turner stated. “There are a good number of us in and surrounding. I find it incredibly thrilling to be in and around the squads with hopes of trying to get a position on the T20 or Test teams. Since I’m still extremely young and have a lot to learn, I believe I’m still quite raw.”
Thus far, Turner has had two successful appearances. He routinely defeated King and Evin Lewis on his debut without receiving any compensation, but in his second appearance, he got rid of both of them in the first seven balls. However, a few pulled sixes on each time will do it.
The Bajan-born athlete quickly said to the world that Turner was the greatest player in the team for PIG, the football-based headers and volleys warm-up game that England plays, after receiving his cap from Jofra Archer. It was a lie. At the bottom of the list is Turner.
this is a relief, if nothing else. Turner, who had been studying full-time at Exeter University over the summer, finished his degree in economics and finance. Growing up, he was a better hockey player than a cricket player. If you were to go through the team hotel on this same trip a year ago, you probably would have seen Turner with his laptop and coffee on the go, his head deep in his books.
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