Ahead of England’s Test series against India, Tom Hartley has revealed that he has been working on a ‘carrom ball’ variation.

Hartley, a left-arm spinner who plays for Lancashire in county cricket, is one of three uncapped players called up for the five-Test tour of India. He was asked ahead of the series if he had been working on anything in particular.

“I’ve got a ‘carrom’ ball,” he told Wisden Cricket Monthly. “It’s almost there. It’s easy to bowl it in the nets, I’ve bowled it a few times in county cricket and a bit in white ball, but with the style of play that England are after, given a chance, hopefully I’ll flick it out for yer…”

Aside from his new variation, Hartley hopes India’s surfaces will suit his natural attributes. “The conditions will be in my favour, I bowl similar to what their boys do, so there’s no reason why I should be scared, you’ve just got to bowl at what’s in front of you.

“I’m round about mid-50s mph, but with my height, I can’t really go up and down, my trajectory is normally down just because of my height, but that’s not a bad thing, it just makes me bowl that little bit quicker. Smaller spinners can take the pace off and give it that little bit more flight, but I’ve realised what I am and you’ve just got to work with it.

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“I’ve only been to India once but the pitches just allow you to fire it in, you don’t even have to think about flight or guile or anything like that. You just let the pitch do the work. In county cricket the pitches are a lot flatter, so spinners have to use their wits a bit more, whereas in India you’re the one who’s meant to be in control. If you’re firing it in and hitting the seam, you’ll be ragging it past the edge.”

Tom Hartley is the third uncapped player to be called up to the England Men’s Test squad for the tour of India

Congratulations to the @lancscricket bowler! pic.twitter.com/yHmAGLFjli

— County Championship (@CountyChamp) December 11, 2023

Hartley is the second-most experienced frontline spin option in England’s squad, having played 20 first-class games for Lancashire, taking 40 wickets at 36.57.

The 24-year-old recently signed a contract extension to keep him at Old Trafford until at least 2026, though will face stiff competition for a spot in the 2024 campaign, with Lancs signing Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon on a season-long deal.

What is a carrom ball?

The carrom ball is believed to have been first bowled by post-Second World War Australia leg-spinner Jack Iverson. Rangana Herath, who claimed 433 Test wickets for Sri Lanka, is one of the first left-armers to master the delivery.

Getting its name from Indian tabletop game ‘Carrom’, the ball involves using your thumb and middle finger to flick or squeeze the ball out of the hand, and can turn the opposite way to a spinner’s stock delivery or hold its line.

Issue 74 of Wisden Cricket Monthly is out now. Get a copy here.