David Payne

An energetic left-arm pacer who is adroit at swinging the bat lower down the order to score crucial runs. David Alan Payne emerged from the grassroots for Gloucestershire in 2009, following two years at the Gloucestershire Academy. 

The bowling allrounder is originally from Dorset and donned England’s jersey during the 2010 edition of the U-19 World Cup to scalp 10 wickets at 14.20 in six outings at New Zealand. Later that summer, Payne set the Pro40 competition on fire by grabbing career-best figures of 7 for 29, including four consecutive wickets on four consecutive balls.

The following season was yet another delight for the Dorset-born who finally started the Championship season and ended with 42 wickets at 30.90. However, the next two seasons weren’t memorable for Payne who took 22 & 18 scalps, respectively. 

In the winter of 2013, the bowling allrounder visited Darren Lehmann Academy in Adelaide but his trip was cut short by an ankle injury and backed with an impaired heel. Payne returned to cricket in the latter half of 2014 to bag 17 wickets at just 16.41 and helped his county to reach the quarter-final of the Royal London Cup.

Ahead of the domestic 50-over Cup of 2015, English selector Angus Fraser tipped Payne as 'one to watch' and the pacer didn’t disappoint. He bowled the last nail-biting over of the final and dismissed Sam Curran and Gareth Batty to secure the club's first title in 11 years.

2016 was another successful season as he took 43 Championship wickets and led Gloucestershire’s bowling attack with consistency, but he lost his way in the limited-overs cricket cycle. He made his way back in 2017 to become the county’s leading wicket-taker with 17 scalps in the T20 Blast. 

Payne has emerged as the leader of the pact for his beloved Gloucestershire and hasn’t been with them since his debut. In a decade-long career, the pacer has taken close to 300 wickets in the longest format but hasn’t been as successful in the shorter versions due to the injuries. In 2021, the Dorset-born was drafted into the Welsh Fire squad for the first edition of the Hundred to showcase his dimensions in the all-new format. 

(As of April 2021)