The 21-year-old has only been playing professional cricket for 16 months but was drafted by Perth Scorchers on the urging of his Manchester Originals coach Simon Katich
Matt Roller13-Dec-2024Matty Hurst arrived in Perth as an unknown, young keeper-batter ahead of Sunday’s Big Bash League curtain-raiser at Optus Stadium, but has already made a significant impression on at least one Australian.Hurst, who turned 21 on Tuesday, was the only Manchester Originals player to enhance his reputation during their 2024 Hundred season. His boundary-hitting against genuine pace and high-quality spin matched with a temperament that belies his age, prompted Simon Katich, Originals’ coach, to recommend Hurst to Perth Scorchers ahead of September’s BBL draft.Scorchers’ management, led by coach Adam Voges, paid attention: after turning down an SA20 deal to guarantee his availability for the full season, Hurst was signed as a ‘silver’ pick on a contract worth A$200,000 (£100,000 approx.). He could play a vital role as wicketkeeping cover, with Josh Inglis set to miss at least some of the season with Australia’s Test squad.Related
Stoinis: BBL power surge makes it hard to develop middle-order talent
Warner leans towards Konstas as BBL opening partner
Melbourne Stars sign Adam Milne for pre-Christmas BBL stint
BBL preview: Squads, fixtures, overseas names, players to watch
A talented all-round sportsman, Hurst grew up in the north-west of England between two rugby league strongholds. He supports Wigan Warriors – rather than local rivals St Helens – but was never physically big enough to have taken the sport seriously. Instead, he played age-group football for Manchester United as a central midfielder, with opponents including Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.But cricket was his real passion ever since he watched his dad Bill play club cricket in the Southport and District League for Winstanley Park, and he has been involved with Lancashire since the age of 10. “It first hit when I was around 14 that I could actually have a chance,” Hurst told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s always been a dream to play for Lancs, ever since getting into the academy.”At 14, he gave up football and went all-in on cricket, progressing through the Bunbury Festival, England Under-19s and Lancashire’s age-group teams to make his professional debut aged 19 in the Metro Bank Cup last summer. Since then, he has flourished: “You don’t take part just to be average,” Hurst said. “You want to be the best you can be.”He was the beneficiary last year when Phil Salt signed a replacement deal at the IPL shortly before the start of the County Championship season. That enabled Hurst to take the gloves and bat in the middle order, with his output of 677 runs at 32.23 – including a maiden hundred against Nottinghamshire – a rare positive in a Lancashire campaign which ended in relegation.But it was the Blast that helped his career take off, through an opportunity that emerged with Salt, Liam Livingstone and Jos Buttler at the T20 World Cup. In his first professional T20 innings, Hurst walked out in the fourth over with Lancashire 10 for 3, hit his first ball for four, and then shimmied down the pitch to launch his third for six.
“There’s not too many players I’ve looked forward to watching, but Hursty is definitely one of them. Hopefully he hits the ground running over there… I’ve got everything crossed for him.”Phil Salt on Matty Hurst
It was that sense of fearlessness that impressed Lancashire’s staff throughout the season – and prompted Katich to sign him on a wildcard deal in the Hundred. Again, he benefited from a high-profile absentee: Buttler’s calf injury left the Originals light on batting, and Hurst hit half-centuries in his first two innings as Salt’s opening partner.The highlight was an outrageous reverse-scoop for six off Spencer Johnson in his 50 against Oval Invincibles. “I’ve started developing the reverse over the last couple of years,” Hurst said. “I’ve got the game to be cute and clever when I need to be, but I’d back myself to clear any rope now… Old Trafford’s not a small ground. But you’re never perfect. You always want to improve.”He last played in Australia in early 2023 with England’s Under-19s, including two four-day matches with Jacob Bethell as his captain. They could come up against each other on December 23, with Bethell due to arrive for his stint with Melbourne Renegades next week after his remarkable maiden Test tour to New Zealand.Hurst cites Buttler and Salt as the two players he most enjoyed watching as a teenager, and Salt has acted as a mentor. “We always end up having good chats about batting and keeping,” Salt explained. “We spoke quite a bit about the short ball during the Hundred, and he made a couple of technical changes very, very quickly. He’s a bit of a sponge.”Katich believes Salt was influential in advising Hurst to make himself fully available for the BBL – and thereby leaving an England Lions tour early – ahead of other leagues, having himself kicked on while playing for Adelaide Strikers. “There’s not too many players I’ve looked forward to watching, but Hursty is definitely one of them,” Salt said. “Hopefully he hits the ground running over there… I’ve got everything crossed for him.”Hurst is joined in Perth by his Lancashire team-mate Keaton Jennings and the pair could even be competing for a spot when Scorchers are at full strength. “If you’d told me that I’d be doing this in February, I’d have probably laughed in your face,” Hurst said. “You’ve just got to take it in your stride: focus on yourself, be the best you can be and you’ll be perfectly fine.”The demand for his services after only one full season as a professional marks Hurst out as an archetypical young English player of the modern era, weighing up the potential benefits and drawbacks of an abundance of different opportunities in the off-season. But he has just signed a new three-year, all-format deal with Lancashire, and his ambition is clear: “My aim is to play for England, in all three formats. That’s the pinnacle.”
