Luke Wright

Having stormed through the ranks with a debut hundred for Sussex, three Denis Compton medals and a consequent first-class call-up at the age of 18, Luke Wright was undoubtedly an energetic, jumpy child prodigy who seemed destined for the national team since he burst onto the scene in 2003.

On the basis of exemplary domestic performances, Wright waltzed into the squad for the U-19 World Cup in 2004. He performed admirably in the tournament, scoring 154 runs at 38.50, as his team crashed out in the semi-final. He continued to perform well in the domestic circuit, and shot into the limelight in 2007, a year in which he excelled in all formats. However, with the inaugural World T20 around the corner, it was his performance in the domestic T20 competition (he topped the run-charts with 346 runs) that caught the eye of the national selectors.

Wright was named in the ODI squad for the series against India, and was handed an ODI debut in September 2007, ahead of the World T20 in South Africa. He performed admirably well, scoring a quick-fire fifty on debut, and propelling England to a 300+ total. He was named in the list of 30 probables for the 2007 World T20, and later, the 15-man squad for the tournament. He made it to the playing XI and had an inauspicious debut, scoring a golden duck on his first outing. After a series of underwhelming performances, he looked set to be axed as England crashed out in the league stages, failing to make the knock-outs.

However, as fate would have it, the selectors decided to put their faith in the budding all-rounder and selected him for the tour to New Zealand, where he put up a commendable performance to repay the faith of the selectors. He further reinforced his case when he was given the ball in a pressure situation, with the opposition needing 7 to win off 6. Wright bowled a tight, cunning over, and held his nerve in the final over to secure the tie with a blend of sly, well-disguised slower deliveries and accurate yorkers.

Wright, continued to be a fixture in England’s T20 and ODI side as a utility player. He was picked in the England squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2009 in South Africa. He had a moderate run, making 49 runs in a hundred-run partnership with Tim Bresnan during their semi-final loss to Australia. Despite the loss, Wright was fast establishing himself as a lower-order pinch-hitter who could keep him calm and consistently get brisk runs at the death.

The all-rounder received a surprise call-up to the squad touring South Africa in October 2009, as a replacement for the recently-retired Andrew Flintoff. Wright’s inclusion was defended by the selectors, who accepted that Wright was no “like-for-like replacement for Flintoff“ but could be an impact player at the Test level after his game is developed and refined. However, the episode ended with an anti-climax as Wright wasn’t picked in the playing XI.

Though starkly different from Flintoff, Wright showed signs of filling in the all rounder's spot with good performances in England's successful World T20 campaign in 2010 as a lower-order biffer and a deceptive medium-pacer. His useful contributions earned him a spot in England's squad for the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup in the subcontinent. Although Wright put up a few special performances in the tournament, England could not manage to reach the semi-finals. Over the next few years, he kept oscillating in and out of the team. However, his ODI and T20I performances for England also started to fall by the way-side, not aided by a side-strain in the middle of the 2014 World T20, as he slowly started to drift into the fringes.

Wright continues be a sought-after asset in domestic T20 leagues around the world for his powerful hitting, his knack of hitting boundaries, and his cunning variations of pace with the ball. He has played in the Pakistan Super League as well as the Australian Big Bash League and has bludgeoned an unparalleled 7 centuries in the format. His performances in the domestic T20 circuit in England have been lauded as well, particularly his unbeaten 153 in a world record run-chase (at the time) of 226.

The reversal of the English domestic season was particularly harsh on Wright, who went 'unsold' in the IPL auctions of 2014. However, he continued to impress in the numerous other lucrative franchise-based leagues around the world. He was declared Sussex captain in 2017, owing to his rapport with the team and his sprightly enthusiasm. However, he shortly resigned from his post citing the reason that he did not enjoy the pressure that came with captaincy and that it was affecting his life on and off the field.

That his original BBL team has retained him after 7 seasons of service is a testament to the value he adds to the team. He famously clobbered an undefeated 117 in the first edition of the league, which, to this day, remains the highest individual score in BBL history. He also scored a 109* in the high-pressure Melbourne-Derby against the Renegades in the 5th edition of the league to carry his side home in a pressure game in front of a capacity crowd. Being the highest scorer across seasons for the Stars (1398 runs) and with the most appearances as well (52), Wright continues to be a key player, and the Stars’ success rests heavily on his broad shoulders.

A publicly-declared Test aspirant, Wright's skills have always been more suited to the shorter forms of the game. Although he has been a part of some lucrative T20 leagues around the world, the coveted cap with the three lions continues to elude Wright.

By Rishi Roy

As of December 2017