England's winter of discontent could yet be made glorious summer by promise of youth

It’s been a disappointing winter. One that at points threatened to turn into a true winter of discontent for English cricket. However, the performance of several young players suggests that this winter may yet be made glorious summer by the promise of the next generation.

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Last month, Jacob Bethell became the youngest English cricketer to score a century in all 3 formats of the game at the age of 22 years and 133 days. What is more remarkable is that those 3 centuries are his only 3 centuries in professional cricket more generally.

Throughout the McCullum, Key, Stokes and now it would seem Brook era, England have not been afraid to throw young and as yet unproven talent in at the deep end. In the case of Bethell that faith has already been repaid and England look to have unearthed a world class performer in all formats of the game for the next decade or so.

Other punts haven’t always faired so well. For example, the selection of Shoaib Bashir, picked after Stokes watched a clip of him on social media, doesn’t appear to have worked out. Bashir didn’t add to his 19 caps and 68 wickets in Australia despite his continued inclusion in the England team over recent years being largely due to the perceived effectiveness he would have in conditions Down Under.

What seems apparent is that England aren’t going to change their immediate approach to selection. If you’re good enough and perhaps more importantly you have the right attitude to fit with 'Baz Ball' more generally, then you’re old enough. It means that this coming summer could be one of equal excitement as far as unearthing young talented cricketers is concerned as England look to rebuild across all formats of the game.

Here then is an XI of the bright young things that could well be in line for a chance in the international team this summer.

Ben McKinney

Durham’s 21-year-old McKinney has been on the England radar for the last few years. A former England U-19 captain, the tall left-hand opening bat has had to hone his technique on the green pitches of Chester-Le- Street where any runs against the new ball are hard fought.

However, he’s no blocker (he wouldn’t get a sniff in the England side if he was) and he managed to secure a contract with Manchester Originals in last year’s Hundred competition before going to Southern Brave in the 2026 auction.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JqntiFq7zzQ

Much like Zak Crawley, his added height allows him to turn decent length balls into half-volleys while pulling and cutting with power and authority.

England will hope that if they opt for McKinney ahead of either Crawley or Duckett that they will get a more consistent flow of runs. So far, that consistency has been lacking in First Class cricket with his 1286 runs including 4 x centuries. A big summer for him will almost certainly see him challenge those currently in possession.

Asa Tribe

Young Asa Tribe is already a full international… for Jersey.

The Channel Islander moved to Cardiff a couple of years ago to pursue a degree in Sports Science. He immediately caught the eye while playing for his university and was quickly drafted into the Glamorgan 2nd XI where he hasn't looked back, hitting 4 half centuries in his first 4 Championship matches.

However, it was the later half of last summer where he really shone, hitting 3 consecutive list A hundreds (2 for his county and 1 for Jersey) before returning to County Championship duty and scoring a double hundred against Northants.

Those performances earned him a place in the England Lions squad as well as contract to play with Paarl Royals in the SA20.

The Lions as with the England's main squad, endured a tough time down-under but Tribe was one of the few players to come out with credit, scoring a hundred against Australia A.

He demonstrated his versatitilty by batting across the top 5 in all formats of cricket and continuing to score runs in the process, a trait that may help him later this summer if and when opportunities become available.

James Rew

Rew already feels like he's been an England man in waiting for some time. A former U-19 captain and the youngest man to score 10 x first class hundreds since the great Dennis Compton in the pre-war era.

England have already signaled their intentions towards the young Somerset man by including him in a Test squad last summer and with Jamie Smith's poor Ashes, then it might not be long before they call upon him again.

Rew was 1 of only 9 batsmen to pass the 1000 run mark in County Championship Division 1 last year and his strike rate of 60.65 was the fastest amongst any of them, something that will not have gone unnoticed by the current England set-up.

A brief spell in the ILT20 league this winter was also productive, suggesting that Rew will be looking to transition from steady accumulator to the kind of player who can swing matches in a session.

James Coles

I actually drafted this list about 2 months ago when James Coles was already a much talked about talent in English cricket. He was always likely to attract interest in the inaugural Hundred Draft but I don't think many expected him to go for the best part of £400k .

That price tag alone is going to heap a significant amount of expectation on the young man but so far, there's nothing to suggest that he can't live up to the billing.

Like so many on this list, he's already displayed an ability to score runs in multiple formats which now seems a pre-requiste for any batter hoping to break into the full England squad.

Like James Rew, he's coming off a 1000 run season with Sussex and one in which he hit 4 centuries.

What's more, Coles can also deliver some more than useful left-arm spin. He took 20 wickets in as many innings last season and while he's more likely to be viewed as a useful bowling asset in white ball cricket, he does give England options to balance their red-ball side as well, an issue they have struggled with in recent times.

Ralphie Albert

The top 4 on this list all come with at least a decent body of first class work to judge them on, Ralphie Albert does not.

I'm picking him because I have a bias towards Surrey players and Albert is the latest in a long line of batting talent to come out of the county.

The right hander only turned 18 after the close of the 2025 season but that hasn't stopped him from establishing himself as an England U-19 regular while also seeing him secure a first class debut last September.

In that match, he scored what ultimately proved to be a match winning 63 on a challenging surface at Southampton against international caliber bowlers such as Liam Dawson and Washington Sundar (20 wickets fell to spin in the match).

That he bowls as well (left-arm spin) is likely to increase his chances of further playing time this summer. He played his maiden U-19 Test against India last summer and finished with 10 wickets in the match.

If you're looking for signs of pedigree beyond the fact that he's viewed as the next big thing in Surrey's much vaunted academy then perhaps the fact that his Grandfather is none other than former snooker great Jimmy White will play a factor.

Thomas Rew

Cricket is a family business. It always has been and as this list proves, will continue to be so.

Thomas Rew, the younger brother of James, has just turned 18 and is already the England U-19 captain, having lead his side to the final of the recent 50-over World Cup. His century against the Aussies in the semis of that tournament, a reminder of his precious talent and the penchant for the big occasion.

Such are the expectations for this young batter, that he made his first class debut in 2025 for the England Lions before playing for his county Somerset!

Somerset's strong squad means that he may need to wait a little while longer for a sustained run in the side but you can bet that he'll be pushing those in possession all the way. As with so many young England cricketers, he's taken the opportunities afforded in the 50-over format to further his reputation, currently averaging 44 in List A cricket.

Rocky Flintoff

The family name means that he will always be a player that fans from around the world are keen to see develop and so far, from the glimpses we have had, Rocky could prove to be an entertainer in his own right!

To date, his rap sheet reads as follows

• Youngest player to score a 2nd XI century for Lancs, beating his dad's previous record

• Youngest player to score a century for U-19 England, beating Ian Bell's record

• Youngest player to score a century for England Lions (England A) which he achieved, like his father, on his Lions debut albeit Rocky was only 16 at the time, compared to Freddie who was 20

Apparently, just like the old man, he can crank up some speed with ball in hand too but it appears to be with the bat that Freddie is looking to establish himself. Freddie himself, always felt he debuted too early for England and so it'd seem that he'll be keen to protect his son from a similar fate despite the outside noise.

Rehan Ahmed

Certainly the most established player on this list having already played for England in all 3 formats. It seems a lifetime ago that he became the youngest ever Test player for England and sustained opportunities have been tough to come by ever since.

All 5 of his Test appearances have come overseas in either Pakistan or India and in sides where England have played multiple spin options. His desire this summer will be to establish himself as England's lead slow bowler in all conditions and perhaps all formats.

Last season was successful as his 23 wickets at an average of 19, strike rate of 42 helped to catapult Leicestershire to the Division 2 title. Like any young spinner in English county cricket at the moment, he isn't helped by so many red ball matches being pushed into the extreme ends of the English 'summer' - he only bowled 160 overs in first class overs last summer.

Of course, how much bowling a spinner does in this country has been an age-old problem but Rehan does at least bring an extra dimension to his cricket with 6 first class centuries to his name. Again, balancing the Test side, particularly in the post-Stokes era that we'll soon find ourselves in, will be a key consideration for England as they go through this summer.

p.s. his younger brother Farhan is also another one to watch.

Eddie Jack

England's reckless batting of late has somewhat overshadowed the fact that they haven't looked like being able to consistently take 20 wickets in a Test match since the end of the Broad/Anderson era.

Eddie Jack, might just be a remedy to those short-comings and at the very least can add extra fire power to England's fast bowling stables, which have been a bit bare at times recently.

Jack impressed last summer playing for England Lions against a strong India A team that included several Test players looking to get time at the crease ahead of the 5 match series that followed. His performances on what were batter friendly pitches, prompted England to invite him to train with the side ahead of the first Test match.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/jQuHOwZQRmk

Thereafter, he played a couple of first class games for Hampshire and was a part of the England Lions squad again this winter. Having signed a 3 year deal with Hampshire, he'll be looking to add more game time this summer.

At 6ft 4, he's got the height and pace to trouble batsmen but with the ability to move the ball from a fuller length too.

Sonny Baker

Baker burst onto the scene last summer with some impressive spells of fast bowling during the Hundred. That saw him fast tracked into the England white ball team where he made his debut in 50 and 20 over cricket.

Both performances showed that he still has some development to achieve before playing regularly at the highest level but he's likely to be given that opportunity again this summer.

Another player on this list that played for the Lions before playing for his county in First Class cricket, Baker has more recently been appearing for the nation's 2nd XI in limited overs cricket and impressed against Pakistan A last month.

With a fast arm and skidy action, he's different from the usual 6ft plenty, bang it in style of bowler that England have been seeking to develop in recent years with 1 eye on the Ashes. Perhaps Baker can help them move past that sterotype.

Josh Hull

I started the blog speaking about players picked for the national side from relative obscurity and so it only seems fitting to end it with one.

The 20-year-old, 6ft 7 left-arm quick was plucked from nowhere to play against Sri Lanka at the Oval in 2024, a match I watched in person. He took 3 wickets but also went at 5 plus an over as Sri Lanka won a dead-rubber in a game that it seemed England weren't taking that seriously. An injury shortly after, ruled out Hull from traveling to Pakistan that Autumn and he's not been in an England squad since.

Last summer saw Hull, alongside Rehan Ahmed, help his Leicestershire team romp to the Division 2 title with 7 wins, 6 draws and just a single defeat all season.

Only 2 fast bowlers (min 100 overs) managed a better strike rate than he did in capturing 19 wickets suggesting that while England's decision to pick him for a Test Match in 2024 was premature, there is certainly a player with a 'high-ceiling' as Stokes and McCullum have consistency stated.

As with so many young fast bowlers, staying fit is likely to be the key for Josh Hull's immediate development.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rdRWXVWKMuo

England's history of left-arm quicks is a fascinating one. Never have we produced 1 who has taken 100 Test Match wickets in his career which seems crazy when you consider how long England have been playing and the success that so many south-paws have had across the game in that time. Josh Hull has time and a 3 wicket head start on his side to attempt to rewrite history.