'The sky's the limit' for new England bowler Hull

Josh Hull made his first-class debut at the end of the 2022 season for Leicestershire

The man who helped oversee the development of new England call-up Josh Hull believes "the sky's the limit" for the Leicestershire seamer.

Hull was a surprise inclusion in England’s Test and white-ball squads having played just 10 first-class matches in Division Two.

The 20-year-old came through the Leicestershire academy, where he was spotted by the county's head of talent pathway, Jigar Naik.

“He was an incredibly hard worker and thought about the game, which stood out really well,” Naik told BBC Radio Leicester’s Talking Foxes podcast.

“He thought about his bowling, he thought about getting videos and how he could get better, and I think it was quite rare for a boy of 16 or 17 to have that kind of thought process.

“He would speak to all the coaches, the bowling coach, the batting coach, everyone, as to how he could get better. His hunger to do that was a standout really, and still is.”

While Naik admits Hull is still an early work in progress, he believes the natural attributes he brought from day one, combined with a desire to improve, can take him far.

“It’s brilliant for the academy because it shows that jump from academy to international level can be done quickly,” he said.

“The sky's the limit, he’s tall - 6ft 7in - he’s only 20, he bowls 85, 86 miles per hour regularly, and he swings it back into the right-hander, so the attributes are there.”

Hull chats to James Anderson at a net session at Lord's on Thursday

Academy helping to revive Foxes fortunes

Hull is a comparative red-ball veteran compared to fellow Leicestershire academy graduate, Rehan Ahmed.

The spinner had just three first-class matches under his belt when he became the youngest man - aged 18 - to play Test cricket for England in Pakistan in December 2022.

The Leicestershire academy production line has also given English cricket the likes of Stuart Broad and James Taylor.

And the new crop are finally helping to lift the club out of the doldrums.

The Foxes lifted the One-Day Cup for the first time last season and are now in the hunt for promotion, looking to bring back Division One cricket for the first time since 2003.

"It's really unheard of to have two international players in the last two years, three if you include an Under-19 player as well in Alex Green," Naik added.

“It shows that our processes and systems are working and we’ve just got to stick with that and hopefully another few will come through."