John Turner, three months on from university finals, could be England’s latest fast bowler find

For English cricket, 2024 has been a year of pace-bowling regeneration. A year after Stuart Broad’s departure, James Anderson was unsentimentally pushed into retirement. Ollie Robinson has probably played his last Test too.

In their absence, England have sought to build a new bowling attack, underpinned by one idea above all: pace. Gus Atkinson, uncapped at Test level until July, has now become the leader of the attack. Brydon Carse, who has similar attributes of speed, bounce and seam movement – rather than swing -– has become a crucial member of the squad too, while Olly Stone has also been recalled. Then there is Mark Wood and Jofra Archer to throw into the mix.

In the one-day international series in Antigua, England have unleashed the latest member of this new wave of quick bowlers, John Turner.

Aged only 23, Turner emphatically fits within the profile of bowler that England are seeking to develop to play in all forms, generating good speed and sharp bounce from a repeatable action. He knows that he is the beneficiary of a regime eager to use such qualities.

“The whole pace project, as they call it, is really exciting,” Turner said after his first two one-day internationals. “There’s quite a lot of us.”

No matter that Turner has played only five first-class games for Hampshire, he hopes that his first international experience will be the prelude to winning a Test place too.

“Being in and around is really exciting, to try to put my name in the hat for a spot on the Test team, or the T20 team,” he said. “I think I’m very raw, still, I’m very young. I’ve got a lot to learn, a lot to improve, but it’s the best place to learn.”

For Turner, it has been an unlikely journey. He grew up in South Africa, attending Hilton College – one of the country’s great sports factories, with alumni including Mike Procter and current Protea Lungi Ngidi. His coach, the former South Africa player Dale Benkenstein, encouraged Turner to pursue opportunities in England. With a British passport – his mother is English -– Turner moved in 2021, combining playing for Hampshire with studying for an economics and finance degree at Exeter University.

Turner was a full-time student there, though he was given a special dispensation to miss most lectures and tutorials in the summer term.

“It’s been a challenging balancing act, but it’s been quite cool at the same time,” Turner reflected. “When I was away, I’d just watch the recordings and make notes. And some mates helped me a bit with that.”

In August, Turner had to return to Exeter to complete a final exam, which he had earlier missed because of cricket duties. After finishing a game for Trent Rockets in Birmingham, “I got straight to the car, drove down to Exeter – got there for 2.30am, had my exam at 9.30 that morning. And then I got in the car, drove up to Nottingham to play a game the next day”.

Turner got a high 2.1: a testament to his hard work and ability to compartmentalise. While he eventually plans to study for a master’s, now his focus is on cricket alone.

The economist in Turner recognises that his national selection reflects England’s emphasis on attributes over averages.

“Cricket is a stats game, but you need those attributes to prove yourself or be successful at the top level,” Turner reflects. “It’s obviously really exciting that someone sees something in you, probably before you see it yourself.

“Whether I’ve got that, or whether some other younger guys have got that, no one really knows until you’re put in this environment and either succeed or you fail. And I think the messaging is kind of just go out and enjoy yourself, there’s no pressure on us.

“You see guys doing really well in county cricket, and not necessarily getting opportunities in the national setup. And you feel for them, it’s tough grinding away and almost you’re not tall enough or not big enough, and you’re being labelled. That’s why you’re not going to succeed. But on the flip side, I’m fortunate enough to be benefiting from this and hopefully just make the most of it and take whatever opportunity I’m given.”

Such chances have not always been forthcoming at Hampshire – who have a series of supremely skilled, but slightly slower, seamers. “England are wanting to create a set of fast bowlers that are bowling at certain speeds. But Hampshire want to win, and that might not fit the same picture at that time.”

Turner was first picked in a national squad 14 months before his debut; a year ago, he was part of the squad throughout the white-ball tour to the Caribbean, without making it on to the pitch. During the wait, Turner had seen social media jokes about whether he really existed.

Together with the qualities he showed in a sharp new-ball spell in the second ODI, which claimed two wickets, Turner also showed a quirk: his habit of sticking his tongue out as he releases the ball.

“I’m stuck with it, unfortunately,” Turner said with a smile. “It ruins basically every single photo. It’s been something from when I can remember. So the earliest photo I’ve got of myself doing that, like competitive cricket properly, was maybe when I was 12. Unfortunately, it’s something I can’t get rid of.”

Not that England will be in any hurry to get rid of Turner. Despite the promise of his first two ODIs, his honest self-assessment was that he hoped to be faster. Turner’s average speed was 84mph, whereas he hopes to average nearer 90mph.

“I prefer to be high 80s,” he said. “I know I can get there. It’s just, what am I not doing? I need to figure that out and put that into practice and hopefully get up there.

“I haven’t played a lot of cricket recently, so that could be a factor. Conditions, also nerves – tensing up a bit. So I think it’s probably quite a few things playing a role there. But yeah, it’s not something I’m really stressed about.

“It’s something to improve on. And then it’s just trying to hit the deck, hard, make life uncomfortable for the batsmen, use whatever the surface has to offer – so whether that’s going to nip around, or stay low, pop up – trying to take advantage of that.”

These are qualities that once led Benkenstein to liken Turner to Glenn McGrath. Such a comparison is hardly fair on a cricketer whose career is so embryonic. Yet England believe that, at the end of next year, they could well take Turner to McGrath’s homeland for the Ashes tour.