• Tom Hartley has impressed during England’s tour of India
  • The Lancashire spinner is the leading wicket-taker in the series so far
  • Brendon McCullum has urged counties to back England spinners 

Tom Hartley hopes his emergence as a red-ball spinner of genuine class in India will earn him an early season place for Lancashire alongside their big overseas signing Nathan Lyon.

Brendon McCullum wants counties to back England by picking the spinners who have made names for themselves on this tour, saying it would be ‘mad’ for them to overlook Hartley and Somerset’s Shoaib Bashir.

And Hartley, the leading wicket-taker on either side with 20 victims, believes he can both learn from the Australian and also complement him by playing with him at Old Trafford, even in early season seam friendly conditions.

‘I’d love to play alongside him and hopefully build a real nice partnership,’ said Hartley after England’s first practice session in Dharamshala ahead of Thursday’s final Test was cancelled because of the indifferent weather.

‘It is fantastic Lancashire have signed Lyon but obviously you think about it a little bit when your county sign another spinner. 

Tom Hartley wants to prove himself for Lancashire after impressing for England

Tom Hartley wants to prove himself for Lancashire after impressing for England 

The off-spinner is the leading wicket-taker of the series against India with 20 in four Tests

The off-spinner is the leading wicket-taker of the series against India with 20 in four Tests

‘He’s such a great person to learn from for me. He’s a great over-spin bowler so I’ll be trying to get as many tips as possible. He’s probably going to be fed up of me by September but hopefully he’ll be really open.’

New Lancashire coach Dale Benkenstein and his Somerset counterpart Jason Kerr have been non-committal about coach McCullum’s plea, leading to speculation Hartley and Bashir, who is competing with Jack Leach for a place at Taunton, may have to go out on loan to get regular cricket ahead of the Test summer.

‘I think it’s a bit early to talk about a loan,’ insisted Hartley, considered more of a white-ball bowler until England picked him for this series. 

‘I’ll do whatever’s best for Lancashire and the team. We’ll just have to see.’

What this series has done for Hartley, 24, is prove to him he is good enough not just for red-ball cricket but to excel at Test level. ‘I didn’t know how much I would play in this series so to play every game and take 20 wickets means I’ve surprised myself,’ he said.

‘It’s when I get a little moment on my own that I tend to think about it. I’m just starting to realise that maybe I am good enough for this and that I should be expecting to do well now. Long may it continue.’

Meanwhile McCullum says Ollie Pope must overcome his skittish starts if he is to fulfil the potential that saw him play one of the great overseas innings in England’s first Test win in Hyderabad.

Brendon McCullum wants counties to back England by picking the spinners who have made names for themselves on this tour

Brendon McCullum wants counties to back England by picking the spinners who have made names for themselves on this tour

Lancashire have signed Australia's star off-spinner Nathan Lyon for next season

Lancashire have signed Australia’s star off-spinner Nathan Lyon for next season 

McCullum believes Ollie Pope must overcome his skittish starts to fulfill his potential

McCullum believes Ollie Pope must overcome his skittish starts to fulfill his potential 

Pope made 196 in the famous comeback victory but since then his form has tumbled, culminating with him making a three-ball pair in the fourth Test in Ranchi even though one dismissal was one of the controversial DRS ones that have marked this series.

‘Look at Kevin Pietersen and Ricky Ponting when they first went out to bat,’ said McCullum. ‘They were frenetic at the start and everyone’s susceptible when they first go out there. It’s just the way it is.

‘But Popey is trying to be as calm as he can be when he goes out there and there’s a period when he needs to grab information from the wicket and get the rhythm of how the game is going.

‘For him the key is to not have played his innings before he goes out there, just to be nice and relaxed and back himself in that situation. He knows what he needs to do.’

 

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Post source: Daily mail

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