George Garton earns Rajasthan Royals trial after T10 exploits

NICK FRIEND - EXCLUSIVE: The Sussex left-armer will spend four days with Rajasthan in early December ahead of the Indian Premier League auction

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Sussex bowler George Garton will attend a trial week with Rajasthan Royals ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League auction, The Cricketer understands.

The 22-year-old seamer has been highly regarded for some time, but the invitation – and the potential to earn a contract – come with his stock continuing to rise after he impressed at the Abu Dhabi T10 League.

He was the competition’s top wicket-taker, taking 12 scalps in 16 overs across nine games, and was named as the bowler of the tournament. Sri Lanka’s Lahiru Kumara, who played alongside Garton in the tournament for Qalandars, was the only other bowler to take more than nine wickets. Garton only received a call-up to the competition after a number of Pakistan players had no-objection certificates withdrawn at short notice.

The IPL auction takes place on December 19; and while there is no guarantee that Garton will be picked up by Rajasthan, his upcoming four-day stint in Nagpur is evidence at least that his recent success is being taken seriously.

It represents some development for a bowler who has only ever played 12 T20 matches in professional cricket; Garton did not feature at all during Sussex’s 2019 T20 Blast campaign. His left-arm pace has long seen him earmarked as a player of immense potential since he first came onto the scene, though he has also advanced his game with a variety of slower deliveries.

The Royals – now coached by Andrew McDonald – already have a strong English flavour. Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Jofra Archer – a teammate of Garton at Sussex in county cricket – have all been retained by the franchise ahead of the auction.

Lancashire allrounder Liam Livingstone was also part of the squad for the 2019 edition; Rajasthan have an additional link to English cricket, having set up an academy at Reed’s School, Surrey, in March.

^{Garton was the top wicket-taker in the Abu Dhabi T10 League}

Garton’s emergence in Abu Dhabi, where his side under the captaincy of Dawid Malan ultimately finished fourth, could also prove beneficial ahead of the Pakistan Super League draft, which is scheduled for December 6. He has entered his name in the gold category – the third such price bracket for overseas players.

Qalandars, who were taking part in their first T10 campaign, are owned by the same franchise that owns PSL team Lahore Qalandars.

After missing the majority of the 2018 season, Garton returned in 2019 as a much-improved all-round cricketer. Already an outstanding athlete in the field, he batted at No.3 in the Royal London Cup, before making two half-centuries late in Sussex’s County Championship season.

He only batted in one game at the T10 League, though hit a match-winning six with a single ball remaining. He had already impressed with the ball in that game, taking 2 for 9 in two overs. Overall in Abu Dhabi, Garton took a wicket every eight deliveries – the second-best strike-rate of any of the top 15 wicket-takers. New Zealand's Mitchell McClenaghan was the next most-successful left-armer; he took five wickets.

Garton has been in England’s thoughts for some time; during the 2017 Ashes, he was called up as cover when injuries began to mount up among the tourists’ fast bowlers.

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