He had the reputation of bowling some of the fastest spells in English County cricket. Olly Stone was marked out for bigger things right from his under-19 days. Alas, apart from battling batters, Stone has spent a large chunk of his time and his career battling injuries. He even sustained a season-ending knee injury while celebrating a wicket! A troublesome back was another recurrent feature. But in the last two years, he has managed to keep himself fit, and more importantly, has done it without compromising on his pace.

He made his Test and ODI debuts in the 2018-19 seasons, and has played just the one T20I in 2022. He’s knocking on the doors of selection, and be assured, he’s going to absolutely love bowling on these pacy South African tracks.