From World Cup to watching Netflix
Fast bowler is ready for Test cricket after long battles with injuries, writes Tim Wigmore
In England, 90mph fast bowlers have traditionally been almost as rare as Faberge eggs. And so, when Olly Stone was led off the field at Northampton three years ago, both his legs held up after he had suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage while celebrating the wicket of Moeen Ali, there was more than just the customary sadness about a young county cricketer encountering an unforeseen obstacle. There was also a fear that a player of the ilk that England badly needed could be prematurely lost from the game.
For the next 13 months, Stone’s recovery was slow and arduous. Essentially, he had to teach himself to walk again. Still, Stone’s cocktail of pace and bounce from his 6ft 3in frame, augmented by seam movement, were so coveted that 12 counties sought to sign him from Northamptonshire, even while he was on crutches. Warwickshire eventually did so, with the use of Aston Villa’s training ground to help Stone’s rehabilitation part of their appeal.
Now, Stone is at Lord’s, on the brink of making his Test debut aged 25; even if he does not play against Ireland in the match which starts tomorrow, there is a strong possibility of him featuring in the Ashes along with another 90mph bowler England have unearthed, Jofra Archer.
If Stone’s selection has surprised some, it is also in keeping with England’s consistent interest in him. Stone made his one-day international debut in Sri Lanka in October, and was then selected in the Test squads both there and in the West Indies. Before the tour of
the Caribbean, he had to withdraw with a stress fracture in his lower back. For Stone, it was a new injury and yet a wholly familiar experience.
At various points, his knees, his back and his cruciate ligaments have all been victims of the hazards of bowling in excess of 90mph.
Often, for bowlers with such alluring characteristics, the normal criteria for selection – the hard currency of wickets – can be short-circuited, with potential prioritised over proven performance.
This was the case for Stone when he made his ODI debut in Sri Lanka last winter, belying a mediocre record in 50-over domestic cricket. But, in the red-ball game, Stone has been selected for performance as well as potential. Last summer, he took 43 first-class wickets at a startling average of just 12.30,
‘If you are expecting Olly to be at it every day, he will break down. He’s a Ferrari’
harrying Division Two batsmen relentlessly with his extra pace.
In Sri Lanka last October, Stone hinted that his qualities could readily translate to the international arena. He snared a wicket with his seventh ball, a bouncer aimed at opener Niroshan Dickwella’s throat, though that was the solitary wicket that Stone took across 16 overs of the series.
Still, there were ample signs that England’s regard for Stone was not mistaken. And so, after just two first-class games this season – owing to that stress fracture – Stone has been selected again.
“He’s got genuine pace. He needs to work on a few things but that pace he’s got is definitely ready for international cricket,” says Graeme Welch, Warwickshire’s bowling coach. “He’s still a young bowler, he’s still learning his trade. His willingness to get better is unbelievable.”
For Stone, a Test debut looms as vindication for all those hours – hundreds of them, all told – he has spent in rehab from his various injuries, trying to piece his body back into a condition where it can bowl fast. “He’s had a lot of dark days but his character has brought him through that.”
These injuries have limited Stone to just 36 first-class games since his championship debut in 2012. “We’re trying to get him to understand the situation of the game so he can just go through the gears,” Welch reflects. “It’s difficult bowling fast day in, day out.”
Stone is still learning finesse. Between rehab work, Welch has been working to mould him into a more rounded bowler. Stone has done work on getting closer to the stumps – his tendency to go wide of the crease is sometimes a deliberate choice, but sometimes a byproduct of tiredness. He is also trying to become more adept bowling round the wicket to left-handers, and on simply obtaining a more reliable length.
“His lengths seem a little bit indifferent,” Welch observes. “We’ve been trying to get him to pitch it up a little bit further.”
While Stone regularly beats the inside edge, by shaping the ball into right-handers, he is honing his ability to move the ball away, so that he can kiss the outside edge too. Naturally, he is seeking more consistency. His economy rate of 3.34 in first-class cricket has generally been on the steep side. So often, this is the trade-off with raw pace.
More than anything, Stone will need to be treated with meticulous care if his raw gifts are to be converted into a sizeable international career. “You have to manage him with kid gloves,” Ashley Giles said when he was sporting director at Warwickshire. “If you’re expecting Olly to play every day and be at it, he’ll break down. He’s a Ferrari.”
But the thing about Ferraris is that they are worth treating differently.
This has already been the summer when England have unleashed Archer. If Stone could emerge as well, it would go a long way to giving England an attack to thrive in all climes.