Michael Rudling takes a look at the rise of Richard Gleeson from minor counties cricket to the cusp of an England debut.

A surprise pick in England’s 55-strong training group was Richard Gleeson, but after a good showing for Team Morgan in the recent intra-squad 40-over game at the Ageas bowl, the 32-year-old Lancashire fast bowler, who didn’t make his first-class debut until he was 27, could be set to make an international debut against Ireland later this month.

What’s his story?

Having been released by Lancashire as a youngster, Richard Gleeson worked as a landscape gardener and community cricket coach through his 20s whilst playing minor county cricket for Cumberland. After being spotted by Northants scout James Middlebrook in a Cumberland game, Gleeson was handed a first-class debut against the touring Australians in 2015, where he dismissed both Marsh brothers and did enough to secure a contract at Northants for the following season.

He impressed hugely in T20 cricket the following year, maintaining a miserly economy of just 5.97 as Northants won the T20 Blast and earning himself both a Lions call up and a Bangladesh Premier League contract. He moved back to Lancashire at the end of 2018.

“To go from a club cricketer at 26 to an England international at 32, it would be amazing,” Gleeson told ESPNcricinfo. “I probably had thought ‘I’m not going to get any opportunities, so I’ll enjoy what I’m doing’.”

Gleeson’s rise

A brisk, tall seamer with a good yorker, Gleeson has taken 140 wickets at 21.43 in his 33 first-class games to date, and shone particularly last season, taking 47 wickets at 20.17 as Lancashire won Division Two.

He continued to turn heads with the white ball too, attracting the attention of Northern Superchargers in The Hundred and Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash, where he was coached by Shaun Tait.

Gleeson’s most recent appearance was for Team Morgan against Team Moeen in the white ball intra-squad game in Southampton. Gleeson went at eight an over as Moeen Ali and Johnny Bairstow ran amok (Moeen carved Gleeson for two glorious sixes) but the 32-year-old did take the wicket of Brydon Carse.

Challenges for Richard Gleeson?

Given the amount of cricket happening in a truncated this season England will have to rotate seamers, but the likes of Saqib Mahmood, Lewis Gregory, and Reece Topley will all be competing for the same spot as Gleeson, and age isn’t on his side. If he doesn’t break into the team this summer, he might not get another chance.

Final word

“It’s just a great story to never give up, keep following your dream and keep pursuing things, because you never know what could happen and when. It’s a great advert for minor counties cricket as well. I think they’ll enjoy the story – if it [a debut] happens, and hopefully it does, it will make a nice read.” – Richard Gleeson