Jake Lintott

Late-blooming Jake Lintott was 27 when he earned his first professional contract with Warwickshire in 2021 - and quickly became one of the feel-good stories of the white-ball summer. A cerebral, quietly determined bowler, he is one of few specialist left-arm wristspinners in English cricket, and a model of perseverance in the professional game.

For much of his twenties Lintott was a club and 2nd XI journeyman, known in local circles as a skilful but unorthodox practitioner without a county to call home. Born in Taunton, he worked as head of cricket at Queen's College while trying to break into the professional ranks, playing a handful of games for Hampshire and Gloucestershire in the T20 Blast in 2017 and 2018. During England's home summer in the second of those years, he was invited to bowl in the nets to help the team prepare for Kuldeep Yadav, though he couldn't take up the assignment.

In 2020, after impressing Warwickshire's coaches in trials, he kept in touch with bowling coach Graeme Welch, with whom he worked on his fitness and skills on Zoom during the Covid-19 lockdown. Lintott took up running, shed 18kg, sharpened his bowling, and when the Blast resumed later that year, he was signed on a short-term deal - and was a revelation, taking ten wickets at 6.30 runs per over.

In 2021, Lintott claimed 15 wickets in the Blast, earned a wild-card pick for the Hundred, and played a key role in Southern Brave's title-winning campaign as their leading wicket-taker. His quick, flat googlies and meticulous preparation made him a hard bowler to line up. Those performances in England brought him stints with Barbados Royals in the CPL, Fortune Barishal in the BPL, and in Abu Dhabi's T10 league.