Mason Crane

By the time he was recalled to an England squad in 2026, Mason Crane was a far more complete cricketer than the legspinner who had a brief first taste of international cricket at the age of 20.

Crane played two T20Is - AB de Villiers, caught in the deep, was his first international wicket - in 2017 and the fifth Test of that winter's Ashes series, in which his only wicket cost 193 runs at an economy rate above four runs per over. It was a reflection of a spinner still learning his craft, and after back injuries ruined his 2018 season, he struggled for regular first-team opportunities at Hampshire.

But a move to Glamorgan in 2024 - initially on loan before a permanent switch - transformed his career. He became an automatic selection across formats and turned himself from a tailender into a reliable lower-order batter who made two Championship hundreds in 2026. His recall came for an ODI tri-series in Pakistan at the end of that summer, a reward for his resilience.

As an eight-year-old only child watching the 2005 Ashes series, Crane was inspired by the bewitching displays of Shane Warne. From that moment, he wanted to be a legspinner. He was bereft when Sussex left him out of their Under-14s squad but was fortunate enough to win opportunities with Hampshire via his head of cricket at Lancing College, and made his first-team debut at 18 in the T20 Blast. Kumar Sangakkara was his first wicket, and a few weeks later he became the youngest Hampshire bowler to take a Championship five-for.

He spent the 2016-17 winter with the former Australia legspinner Stuart MacGill in Sydney, and back-to-back seven-wicket hauls for Gordon CC earned him a call-up to the New South Wales side in the Sheffield Shield as a rare overseas player. His international debut followed in the 2017 season, plus his taste of the Ashes that winter in England's 4-0 series defeat.

He won two trophies with Hampshire - the 2018 One-Day Cup and the 2022 T20 Blast - but played only sporadically in the Championship, with Liam Dawson often preferred as a sole spinner. But his move to Cardiff transformed his career, and he thrived under the coaching of Richard Dawson as Glamorgan regularly picked two spinners. His recall was hard-earned, but deserved.
Cricinfo staff