Turner joins Lancashire on loan as emergency cover for Anderson and Mahmood in short-term loan deal from Hampshire.
Turner joins Lancashire from Hampshire on short-term loan.
For the upcoming two Rothesay County Championship games, Lancashire has signed John Turner, a fast bowler from Hampshire and England, on a temporary loan to fill in for Saqib Mahmood and James Anderson, who are both injured.
Turner, who turned 24 on Thursday, is regarded as one of the nation’s most promising fast bowlers. He earned his England white-ball debut during the West Indies trip in November of last year after being included in several squads during his breakthrough 2023 season.
To date, though, he has had few opportunities at the first-class level, partly because of injury and partly because of the proven calibre of Hampshire’s pace attack, which is still led by Kyle Abbott and featured Pakistan’s Mohammad Abbas until he left for Nottinghamshire this season.
Another up-and-coming fast bowler, 22-year-old Sonny Baker, made his Championship debut last week after making an impact in his first-ever first-class match for the England Lions against Australia A in Sydney in January.
“I haven’t played a lot of first-class or red-ball cricket, particularly recently,” Turner told Lancs TV. “It’ll be a good opportunity to gain some experience, get a bit of a run out and contribute to Lancs winning some games hopefully, and just put some performances together.”
Mark Chilton, Lancashire’s Director of Cricket Performance, said: “John is an exciting young bowler who is well regarded both domestically and by England at international level.
“With Jimmy (Anderson) recovering from injury and Saqib (Mahmood) sticking to an agreed plan ahead of his return to red-ball cricket, John’s loan signing and immediate availability provides us with another bowling option for the next couple of matches in the Rothesay County Championship.
“We are looking forward to seeing what he can bring to our side, and we hope that he can get some valuable red ball playing time and enjoy his spell with us here at Emirates Old Trafford.”