A prototype of English cricket’s obsession, George Garton is a rapid left-arm seamer, a gun fielder, and an ever-improving batsman for the County giants Sussex. Able to clock speeds that make batsmen wince in discomfort, Garton possesses something unique which has scared the top English batsmen. A part of the England squad for the 2016 U-19 ICC Cricket World Cup in Bangladesh, Garton made his first-class debut in April that year against Leeds and took a priceless wicket of Henry Thomspon with his first delivery in County cricket. His rapid growth as an all-rounder led to an early call up to the England Lions squad for their tour against Pakistan and Sri Lanka A teams in early 2017. The Brighton-born youngster hasn’t had smooth sailing since the time he has been in the international spotlight. Garton was more talked about than seen during his early years and at the age of 20, he was fast-tracked into the 2017-18 Ashes squad as a cover after just a handful of first-team appearances. A needless injury slowly hampered the youngster’s career in 2019 and he bounced back with the performance of the season in 2020 for his display against Middlesex in the Vitality Blast, where he ended up with figures of 4-27 and struck 24 runs off just nine balls. At the club’s end-of-season awards, he bagged a hat-trick, earning the 'Player', 'Young Player', and 'Performance of the Year' trophies. The 24-year old southpaw is yet to represent England’s white-ball squad but with the presence of Reece Topley, Sam Curran, and David Willey in contention, there is no shortage of competition for the left-arm seamer. (As of April 2021)
