Tymal Mills, an injury-plagued fast bowler who had played his last of five Twenty20 internationals three years prior, and Jake Lintott, a spinner, had a conversation about the future shortly after the Southern Brave squad assembled before the inaugural season of the Hundred a little over a year ago. Lintott recalls T telling him, “I’m going to play for England after this,” during a conversation. I was surprised because he had suffered numerous injuries and had not played much cricket.
A few months later, Brave had won the championship, and Mills was en route to the T20 World Cup.
The Hundred is a controversial tournament, with its flamboyant branding, crisp-packet kits, subsidized admission, terrestrial TV exposure, and emphasis on cities as opposed to counties being a formula for discontent among many ardent cricket fans.
But its ability to serve as a springboard to international notice has already contributed to its immense popularity among players. As the second season begins on Wednesday with Southern Brave meeting Welsh Fire in Southampton, many players will be aiming to follow in Mills’ footsteps.
“From the perspective of players, the opportunity is enormous,” Lintott adds. It is an event that puts us on the international scene, whereas the T20 Blast is nowhere near that level. It can alter individuals’ life. It is exhilarating and provides you with a sense of where you stand globally.
Due to the exceptionally high level of competition, anyone who performs exceptionally well in this tournament has demonstrated their ability to compete at the worldwide level. I understand the angst surrounding the county game, but ultimately I believe it’s a positive development for English cricket, and the only people who oppose it are those who dislike change.”
Lintott will share a locker room alongside South Africa’s Quinton de Kock and Australia’s T20 World Cup champion Marcus Stoinis for the duration of the tournament. It is quite a rise for a 29-year-old who made his debut with the top squad in 2017, playing a single T20 Blast game for Hampshire.
It was a stepping stone. The following summer, Gloucestershire signed him but released him after three games. In 2019, he went to Warwickshire but was only featured in the second XI. Then comes 2020.
To steal a metaphor from Ernest Hemingway, Lintott’s climb occurred gradually, then abruptly. He returned transformed after using the first Covid lockdown to improve his fitness and lose around three stones of weight.
In the last three summers, he has played 35 games and taken 47 wickets in the Blast, and he played a prominent role in last year’s Hundred. Also in 2012, he got his first professional contract, requiring him to leave his position as head of cricket at Queen’s College in Taunton, his alma mater.
“Until I was 22 or 23 years old, I wasn’t nearly good enough,” he adds. “I reached my peak around age 25 or 26. I made my debut in 2017 and I believe I was prepared, but it took me an additional four years to secure a professional deal.
I’ve played a great deal of cricket outside of the professional ranks, and I know there’s a lot of talent out there. Perhaps I’m a reminder that it’s not as far away as you may believe. There is no reason why you cannot replicate my actions. Never is it too late.
“I consider myself fortunate to have entered the workforce a bit later, a bit wiser, and a bit more cognizant of what I’m doing. Two years ago, I wasn’t playing professionally. Now, I’m surrounded by some of the finest players in the world and playing alongside them.
Last week, Eoin Morgan underlined the chance for a spinner to make it through the Hundred and into England’s Twenty20 team, even if just as Adil Rashid’s backup. Lintott, whose left-arm wrist spin is uncommon enough to confuse many batters, appears to be in the best position.
“Everyone who plays in the One Hundred is ambitious,” he says. “You must continuously be thinking about pushing yourself to the next level. But you’re attempting to remain focused on the task at hand and see where it leads.
It would be a dream come true, but if I do well in this tournament and try my best, everything is possible.
“However, I am aware that professional sport is highly volatile. I may have had a great couple of years, but I know that it only takes one or two bad tournaments for people to think you’re terrible.”
