England call-up county double hat-trick hero for Sri Lanka ODIs

From County Pitches to England Greens: Henry Crocombe's Fairytale Week

What a week it's been for Henry Crocombe. The Sussex pacer just picked up his maiden England whiteball callup for the ODI series against Sri Lanka—and he did it while stacking up some serious history of his own. In the last two rounds of the County Championship, Crocombe claimed hattricks in successive matches, joining a tiny band of players in the game's history to pull off the double feat. Talk about making an impression on the selectors!

Now, this isn't the first time England have had Crocombe on their radar. He was already called up to the Test squad back in June as injury cover for Sussex teammate Ollie Robinson (though he couldn't make his debut that time). But clearly, the selectors have been watching him closely all summer, and it's finally paid off.

A Couple of Other Callups

Alongside Crocombe, uncapped opening batter Aneurin Donald has been brought into the T20I squad as injury cover for Phil Salt, who's sitting out with a right quad injury. Marcus North, England's national selector, had nothing but praise for both lads—praising Donald's exceptional season with Derbyshire in the Vitality Blast and Trent Rockets in The Hundred.

On the flip side, Jacob Bethell won't feature in either series after undergoing knee surgery earlier this week. Good news though—Jamie Overton has fully recovered from his thigh injury and is back in both squads.

The Fixture List

England face Sri Lanka with three T20Is kicking off first—Sep 15 in Southampton. Full squads for both formats have been announced.

Good luck to Crocombe and Donald as they chase that England dream! 🏏

#EnglandCricket #Crocombe #CricketNews

Source: Wisden