Briggs prepares to make Hants' history (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Briggs prepares to make Hants' history

1:53pm Wednesday 8th February 2012 in Sport By Simon Walter, Senior Sports Reporter

DANNY Briggs is on course to become Hampshire’s youngest England international this month.

The 20-year-old from the Isle of Wight has been named in the squads that will play four one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.

Chris Tremlett is currently Hampshire’s youngest England player, having been 23 when he made his ODI debut against Bangladesh in 2005.

But Briggs is not 21 until April.

Fittingly, he will be captained by Alastair Cook, who knows a thing or two about meteoric rises, during the ODI series that begins next week.

But even Cook was 21 by the time he first represented his country.

In more recent years, only the likes of Twenty20 captain Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes have played for England at a younger age than Briggs is now.

His progress has been phenomenal, particularly for a spin bowler, and it is just reward for the way he allies his precocious talent with such maturity.

Although he does not spin the ball prodigiously, Briggs’s accuracy and control of flight and pace has seen him excel for the England Lions as well as Hampshire in the last 12 months.

Having been prolific for the Lions in the Caribbean’s first-class competition last year, Briggs was barely out of his teens when he became the youngest English spinner since Derek Underwood to take 100 firstclass wickets.

And he has continued to impress for the Lions this year, taking 16 wickets during their one-day series in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

That has not gone unnoticed by England coach Andy Flower.

“Briggs has done well for the Lions – he’s been really steady and if we choose to play two specialist spinners it’ll be nice having him in the squad,” says Flower.

“He has lots of development ahead of him but he’s put in some really good performances for the Lions going back to their last tour to the West Indies.

“On that basis he deserves his place in the squad and I’m looking forward to getting to know him.”

Briggs will have competition from fellow slow left-armer Samit Patel, who took more wickets in Sri Lanka, if England decided to pick a spin twin for Graeme Swann. But Hampshire manager Giles White has backed Briggs to continue his Boy’s Own-like success story, given the opportunity.

White has overseen Briggs’ rapid development, having worked with him when he was playing for the county’s academy and second teams as well as the first team.

“He’s smart, he knows what’s coming next, and he’s calm in pressure situations,” says White.

“But more than anything else he’s got the confidence of having done it before at whatever level he’s played at.“ He’ll feed off that confidence and I’m sure he’ll do well if given the chance.”

Briggs was close to his England debut five months ago, only to be left out of the side that played two Twenty20 internationals against the West Indies at The Oval.

But he should play a part with conditions in his favour in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

An England XI play a warm-up match against Briggs’ England Lions teammates in Abu Dhabi on Friday, followed by the one-day series (February 13-21) and the three Twenty20 internationals (February 23-27).

Ian Bell has been dropped while Somerset prodigy Jos Buttler, who was a week shy of his 21st birthday when he made his Twenty20 international debut last summer, is also included.