Eyebrows have been raised over England’s cricketers playing football in their pre-match warm-up, but their non-contact kickabouts are nothing compared with the antics of Worcestershire’s Daryl Mitchell.

The 34-year-old former Pears captain notched a hat-trick for his local Sunday football team having answered a late call for ringers, according to the Evesham Journal.

Mitchell’s father Keith is the assistant manager of Bretforton Old Boys, who were struggling for numbers ahead of their cup game against Tewkesbury Town and Mitchell slotted in up front, banging in three to help his team to a 5-3 victory.

Mitchell, who is chairman of the PCA and a die-hard Aston Villa fan, hit four centuries in Division One of the County Championship in 2018.

England’s use of football warm-ups came under scrutiny again last week when Jonny Bairstow suffered an ankle injury while stretching for a ball. The injury saw him miss the last two ODIs against Sri Lanka and could even threaten his availability for the first Test starting on November 6.