David Payne

Left-arm pacer David Payne made his List A debut for Gloucestershire a decade ago when he was 18. A couple of years later (in 2011) he became a part of the first-class squad wherein he scored an unbeaten 46, but could pick only one wicket in the match. Gloucestershire won that first-class encounter against Hampshire at Bristol and more than his bowling, it was his batting at number 10 that proved to be of much use. Payne was also a part of the England squad during the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand the year he made his List A debut.

Payne's figures of 7 for 29 that came against Essex in a List A encounter are still the best figures for a bowler from Gloucestershire. In that same match he also took four wickets in four deliveries. Angus Fraser rated him very highly and Payne proved the England selector right by performing well during the 2015 Royal One-day Cup, especially in the final of the tournament against Surrey. Bowling the last over, Payne got the priced scalps of Sam Curran and Gareth Batty as Gloucestershire won the tournament after a period of 11 long years. With 17 wickets during the T20 Blast, he was the club's leading wicket-taker in 2017.

Although Payne has been a part of the club since 10 years, he hasn't been as successful in the shorter versions due to the injuries he has faced over the years. In the longest format though, Payne has taken more than 250 wickets and with him being 28 at present, he can well reach the 350-wicket mark in first-class cricket. According to his recent contract, Payne will be a part of Gloucestershire still the end of 2021 season.

Written by Nikhil Jadhav