Olly Stone - England - Bowler

An out-and-out pace bowler, Oliver Peter Stone is a sight to watch when in full throttle. A Northants County product, Stone made headlines for his raw pace in his teens and was instantly rewarded with a place in the England Under-19 side where he recorded the best bowling figures (match) in a youth Test against South Africa Under-19s with 11 for 79 in Paarl in 2013.

It was during 2014-15 County season, Stone took bigger and better strides by finishing at the top in County's Championship averages. At one point, he was Northants go-to bowler across formats out bowling some of the quality, experienced bowlers in the side. No doubt, Stone would rue the number of injuries that restrained him from staying in the fringes of national call-ups, but that said there was no drop in pace and fizz when he switched to Warwickshire ahead of the 2017 domestic season.

One of the hardest phases to accept from Stone's point of view was the fact that he had to miss cricket for over 12 months, after a fanatical celebration following the dismissal of Moeen Ali in a Natwest T20 game against Worcestershire in 2016. Stone damaged his knee and had to undergo a surgery before recomposing himself for the next season. The Norwich-born right-arm pacer termed the injury as 'career-threatening' and had to undergo severe training regimes to regain his fitness.

With age on his side, Stone's pace will remain his ally as he looks to burst into the mix of England's limited-overs set-up. On his day, Stone can rattle oppositions with pace and on occasions, has a tendency to lose his radar in search of that extra fizz.

Written by Raju Peethala