THREE YOUNG CRICKETERS AWARDED PROFESSIONAL ROOKIE CONTRACTS WITH MIDDLESEX CRICKET
Middlesex Cricket is delighted to announce that professional contracts have been issued to three of the club’s young cricketers.
Hard-hitting batsman Dan Lincoln, left-arm orthodox spinner Thilan Walallawita and top order batsman Joe Cracknell have all signed one-year rookie contracts with the club.
Lincoln, 24, born in Frimley, made his maiden first eleven appearance last summer, hitting a quickfire 30 in the Vitality Blast when replacing the injured AB de Villiers against Gloucestershire in Cheltenham. He made two further T20 Blast appearances last summer, against Glamorgan in Cardiff and Sussex at Hove.
Lincoln’s T20 Blast call-up last summer came on the back of a series of impressive batting displays for the Second Eleven – none more so than when he smashed 118 off just 53 balls just a week before his call-up to the First Eleven last July.
In total Lincoln has made 25 appearances for the Second Eleven across all three formats.
Lincoln had this to say about his new deal:
“I am looking forward to being involved in the side and imprinting some of my skills on winning games of cricket.“
21-year-old Walallawita, born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, has impressed hugely throughout his time with the club’s Second Eleven, leading to him now earning his first professional contract.
The left-arm spinner has been within the Middlesex youth system since Under 14’s, having originally moved to the UK with his family in the wake of the Sri Lanka tsunami disaster in 2004. Walallawita made his Second Eleven debut in July 2015 against Sussex and has since gone on to make a total of 74 appearances across the three competitive formats.
After signing his first professional contract, Walallawita commented:
“It’s a really proud moment for me to be able to sign my first contract with Middlesex. It’s been a childhood dream to be able to play for this club.
“I am really looking forward to the next year ahead, working under Stuart Law and his coaching staff and am optimistic that I can contribute towards some success on the field.”
Enfield born top order batsman Cracknell, 19, made his first appearance for the club’s Second Eleven in June 2017 against Sussex.
He has since made a total of 37 competitive Second Eleven appearances for the club and was the stand-out player against a near full-strength Ireland international side last summer, when hitting an unbeaten 105 at Merchant Taylors’ School in the tourists’ two-day warm-up clash ahead of their maiden Test match against England at Lord’s.
On being awarded his contract, Cracknell said:
“For someone who has been at the club since the age of 10 it’s a huge honour for me to be given this opportunity.
“I’d like to thank all the coaches who have made this possible, especially Alan Coleman and Rory Coutts, and also those at North Middlesex CC who have supported me through this journey.
“Last season I got a taste of what it’s like to be a professional cricketer, so this year to be full time is something I’m very excited for and can’t wait for the season to get properly started.”
Middlesex Cricket’s Managing Director of Cricket, Angus Fraser, had this to say about each of the three youngsters:
“Each of these cricketers continue to make a positive impression on everyone at the club. Dan enters our elite environment at an older age than most but his desire to improve and make the most of his opportunities is clear to see. In his own uncomplicated way, he scored more Second Eleven runs than anybody at the club in 2019 and is one of the best fielders I have seen. This skill is undoubtedly helped by him being a semi-professional goalkeeper for Hampton and Richmond Borough Football Club. His slip catching is almost comparable to that of Ollie Rayner.
“Thilan is one of the most exciting young spinners in the country and he has bowled extremely well in Second Eleven cricket for a number of years. As with Dan his desire to play and improve is tangible. As I write this ECB regulations unfortunately mean that Thilan, who has been playing youth cricket for Middlesex for seven years, is not yet qualified to play for our First Eleven. It is a ruling we are challenging as we believe he should be. Even so, we will back Thilan until he is available to play first team cricket.
“I like it when young cricketers dominate and perform well in the Middlesex County Cricket League - as it was my way into professional cricket. Joe’s talents were identified by Middlesex before he was helping North Middlesex win the League and we believe that his strong and dynamic style of batting will come though, especially in white ball cricket.”
