England had 22-year-old Nathan Barnwell acting as substitute fielder on day three of the Oval Test against India. Here's more about him.
India started day three effectively at 52-2, with Yashasvi Jaiswal and night-watcher Akash Deep at the crease. England had Jacob Bethell bowling the first over to faciltate a change of ends for their quicks, but what followed was not something many would have seen coming.
Akash Deep swung through and across the line for the first hour of the day, often finding the boundary as India's lead went past 100 and England's frustration grew. The India seamer, who batted at No.9 in the first innings, eventually reached his half-century, his first in Test cricket and second in first-class cricket. He was dismissed for 66, having more than done his job as India went into lunch with a lead of 166 and seven wickets in hand.
Also read: Tendulkar, Kohli, Gill... Akash Deep? India nightwatch joins elite list with obstinate half-century
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During the knock, one of Akash Deep's defensive pushes to mid-off was fielded by a susbtitute fielder not in England's official squad for the Oval Test, raising curiosity.
England were hampered on day one of the match when Chris Woakes injured his shoulder and was rendered unable to take any further part in the match. That ensured the hosts needed to have at least one substitute fielder on at all times to cover for Woakes. Liam Dawson, who played at Old Trafford but was left out for this match, has largely been the one to perform that role so far.
However, early on day three, as Akash Deep and Jaiswal stitched a potentially match-turning partnership, stand-in England captain Ollie Pope took a short break to head into the dugout, forcing England to call upon another substitute - this time, local Surry quick Nathan Barnwell.
According to England's official team sheet, Barnwell has been listed as a local substitute available to field on days three and four of the Oval Test. Other local players England have the option of employing as substitute fielders on day three are SACA graduate Nikhil Gorantla, and Surrey's Seb Stuart-Reckling.
Who is Nathan Barnwell, the local subsitute England used at The Oval?
Barnwell is a 22-year-old right-arm seamer from Surrey, the club based at The Oval. He has played one first-class and eight List A matches so far, and has also appeared as a net bowler for India, during the 2024-25 Border Gavaskar Trophy.
Barnwell was also a part of England's U19 squad for the 2022 Under-19 World Cup alongside the likes of Jacob Bethell and Rehan Ahmed. However, he played only one game in the tournament, against the UAE, where he took 1-34 in five overs.
The only first-class game Barnwell has played so far came in 2022, when he appeared for Surrey against the Sri Lanka Cricket Development XI. Barnwell bowled eight overs for 0-32 in the first innings and 15 overs for 1-68 in the second, bowling alongside Gus Atkinson.
His stint with the Indian Test side came in Australia where he was called upon as a net bowler. Barnwell also shares a connection with current India bowling coach Morne Morkel, who played for Surrey in 2019 when Barnwell was an academy player. “I actually know him (Morkel) a bit because he played at Surrey,” he told RevSportz during his session with the Indian squad in Australia. “I wasn’t signed then, but I was in the academy when he was there in his last year. So, I got to learn about him back then, and it was good to catch up."
Even though Pope came back on the field soon enough in the first session, Barnwell has been seen in action several times through the day, acting as a substitute for other fielders who have left the field.
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