Hameed is just the inspiration for Joe!
JOE Weatherley is hoping a loan spell at Kent can reignite his career after finding his route to the first team blocked by new recruits at Hampshire.
The county’s decision to bring in Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw was perhaps the most controversial and headlinegrabbing move of the winter and meant that the former England U19 captain once again found himself dropping down the pecking order at the Ageas Bowl.
Now, though, a loan move to Kent has given Haseeb Hameed’s former England U19 opening partner the opportunity to gain some much-needed exposure after a stunning winter in Grade Cricket in Adelaide, which saw him score a double hundred in a haul of over 500 runs in just two months.
On the domestic front, Weatherley has still played just a single County Championship match for Hampshire and, without his switch, was likely to have spent the majority of the coming season rattling around in Second XI cricket.
“It is frustrating that I haven’t played more,” he tells The Cricket
Paper. “There are a lot of guys that are in my (England U19) age group that have had a lot more opportunities – and you only had to see what Haseeb achieved with England this winter to see what’s possible. That’s pretty much why I made the decision to look elsewhere this season.
“I basically had a meet-up with Giles White (Hampshire’s director of cricket) for a bit of a catch up and I suggested it really. He was on the hunt in the New Year and Kent were really interested. It all got sorted out quite late.
“I felt I was at a stage and an age where I wanted to be playing as much first-team cricket as I can.”
Given his Hampshire deal runs until 2019, Weatherley is understandably reluctant to criticise the county for bringing in Abbott and Rossouw, arguing that it’s ‘just the way cricket is’. For the coming season Kent rather than Hampshire will be his focus.
He will join a Spitfires’ side bursting with talent, with the likes of Sam Billings, Daniel BellDrummond and Sam Northeast all likely to play a key role in an assault on promotion to Division One and trophies in the shorter formats.
The 20-year-old is currently unsure as to what position he’ll occupy in Kent’s top order but admits he’ll be happy to take whatever chance he’s given.
“I’m not sure where I’ll be in the order – I’m not going to pick or choose!” he says. “Opening or three would be great but if I have to go in lower then I’ll take that too.”