Olly Stone: England call-ups & Warwickshire's promotion cap 'crazy week'

Olly Stone's 37 Championship wickets this season are bettered for the Bears only by captain Jeetan Patel's haul of 55

There was nothing much more crazy than the way England's newest winter tour party selection Olly Stone got injured two summers ago.

So thrilled was he to dismiss Moeen Ali in a T20 game with Worcestershire that the then-Northamptonshire fast bowler, quite literally, jumped for joy.

He twisted in mid-air as he did so, went down awkwardly on his knee and spent a frustrating year ago out of the game with a damaged anterior cruciate ligament.

In that time, he signed for Warwickshire, who beat off competition seven other counties to get him.

And, such has been his success this season, it was in the week the Bears sealed promotion to Division One of the County Championship that Stone earned his first full England call.

Stone will be part of both England's one-day international and Test squads in Sri Lanka this autumn with a growing reputation as one of the fastest bowlers in the country.

"What a crazy week," Norfolk-born Stone told BBC WM. "Two England calls and to get the boys back where they deserved is great too."

It could get even better for the Bears, who would go up as Division Two champions if they beat - or at least get one more point - than joint-leaders Kent at Edgbaston in their final match.

"At the start of the year, promotion was key," said Stone. "We've achieved it a week early, which now takes us into a shootout and we're really excited."

Stone's vital statistics

• Played Minor Counties cricket for Norfolk before joining Northamptonshire in 2011.

• Signed for Warwickshire from Northants in 2016, while recovering from a knee injury.

• After more than a year out injured, made his Warwickshire debut in July 2017.

• 37 wickets in six Warwickshire matches in the County Championship.

• 12 wickets in eight Warwickshire One-Day Cup matches.

• Seven wickets in five Birmingham Bears T20 matches.

Stone maintains Bears' England reputation

"What a week for him, but what a feather in our cap too," Warwickshire captain Jeetan Patel told BBC WM. "Producing players for England has always got to be part of our remit.

"In the last few years, since Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott, we've not had so many England calls.

"Chris Woakes was always going to do it but we haven't had too many others. It started with Sam Hain being called up by England Lions and now it's great for Olly to do this."

Olly's path back from injury

Olly Stone was carried off after his injury on T20 duty against Worcestershire at Wantage Road in June 2016

Although Stone's sheer pace has helped him take 56 wickets in all formats for the Bears this season, most impressive has been the way he shrugged off an early-season side-strain to take 37 wickets at 12.27 in just six Division Two matches.

To be so clearly back up to full speed after the shock of a potentially career-threatening injury has accelerated Stone's call to England duty ahead of perhaps more expected candidates for the winter tour parties.

"It's something I didn't expect," said Stone. "At the start of this season, it was just good to be back playing for Warwickshire.

"If someone had said to me two years ago, when I hurt my knee, that I'd be selected by England, I'd have snapped their hands off.

"To come back and play some consistent cricket was a big thing for me, to show to myself and to others that I can be out there for a long period of time.

"And I'm so grateful to Warwickshire. To let me come when I was still injured was a great opportunity. I'm thankful for the time and effort they've put in with my rehabilitation and keep me ticking over.

"It was a great call to get on Thursday. They said earlier in the week that they'd be in contact over the next few days with regard to the rest of my winter but I didn't realise that was on my radar.

"Everybody's saying Sri Lanka is not the greatest place to go and make your debut, if selected. But I'm looking forward to the challenge. And, even if it doesn't go well, hopefully I can land some skills that I can bring back to county cricket."

Olly Stone and Jeetan Patel were talking to BBC WM's Richard Wilford.