Simon Kerrigan

Simon Christopher Kerrigan will forever be remembered for his only England cap, where Shane Watson tore him apart with some blistering batting. The left-arm orthodox spinner played his only game for England in the 2013 Ashes and was taken to the cleaners by the Aussies.

Touted as the future leader of England’s spin attack, Kerrigan had a breakout domestic season in 2010, where he took 30 Championship wickets in just 13 matches. 

Ahead of the 2011 Championship season, Kerrigan spent 16 days at a spin-bowling camp run by the ECB. In the initial phase of the 2011 season, Gary Keedy was preferred over Kerrigan and the spinner did not play, until the fourth Championship match of Lancashire that season.

Following an impressive display of spin bowling for Lancashire, Kerrigan was called up to the England Lions squad for their matches against the touring Sri Lankan side. Kerrigan returned from Three Lions duty and contributed heavily to the success of Lancashire that season, as he picked up 24 wickets in the Championship and helped his side win the County Championship for the first time since 1950.

The following season, Keedy moved to Surrey and Kerrigan became the focal point of Lancashire’s spin attack. But after a turbulent Test debut in the 5th match of the 2013 Ashes series, Kerrigan came back to his domestic roots and began a rebuilding phase. 

His confidence after a disturbing Test debut was at an all-time low. It took him nearly three years to recover from the bashing he received at the hands of Shane Watson on his Test debut. There were signs of improvement in 2016 when he bowled nearly 500 overs in the Championship. However, opportunities were few and far between and he was loaned out to Northants in 2017.

Once described as the future leader of spin attack, all it took was just one game to ruin his reputation as a spin bowler. Post-2013, he was never the same and struggled to keep his place in the County side as well.

(As of August 2021)