Benny Howell

Benny Alexander Cameron Howell (born 5 October 1988) is an English first-class cricketer. Howell is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm medium-fast. He was born in Bordeaux, France, and was educated at The Oratory School in Berkshire.[1]

Benny Howell

Howell in CPL playing for Saint Lucia Zouks
Personal information
Full name	Benny Alexander Cameron Howell
Born	5 October 1988 Bordeaux, France
Nickname	Trowell, Growler[1]
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium-fast
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2009–2011	Hampshire (squad no. 37)
2012–present	Gloucestershire (squad no. 13)
2016–2017	Khulna Titans
2019	Rangpur Riders
Career statistics
Competition FC LA T20 Matches 86 86 121 Runs scored 3,378 2,050 1,605 Batting average 27.46 35.34 22.92 100s/50s 2/18 1/13 0/4 Top score 163 122 57 Balls bowled 6,455 3,043 2,195 Wickets 96 76 132 Bowling average 33.56 34.73 19.28 5 wickets in innings 1 0 1 10 wickets in match 0 n/a n/a Best bowling 5/57 3/37 5/18 Catches/stumpings 52/– 27/– 51/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 8 October 2020

Hampshire County Cricket Club

After spending several seasons in the Hampshire Second XI,[2] Howell made his first team debut for Hampshire against Leicestershire in a List A match in the Clydesdale Bank 40 in August 2010. His second List A match came in the return fixture held at Grace Road, Leicester.[3] Hampshire won the 2010 Friends Provident t20, though Howell played no part in the competition. This would normally have qualified Hampshire and runners-up Somerset a place in the 2010 Champions League Twenty20. However, the tournament clashed with the end of the English domestic season, making Hampshire unable to take part.[4] Instead, Hampshire were granted a place alongside Somerset in the 2011 Caribbean Twenty20. It was in this tournament that Howell made his Twenty20 debut in during Hampshire's group match against Canada. He played all of Hampshire's fixtures in the tournament, including the final against Trinidad and Tobago, which Hampshire lost.[5][6]

The 2011 English domestic season saw Howell become a regular feature in Hampshire ccc limited-overs squads, mostly in List A cricket,[3] though he also appeared in just under half of Hampshire's group matches in the 2011 Friends Provident t20.[5] He got off to a quiet start in Hampshire's first match of the 2011 Clydesdale Bank 40 against Surrey, but in their following fixture in the competition he struck his maiden half century, scoring 66 runs.[7] Two games later, he scored his maiden century against Surrey at The Oval, making a quickfire 122 from 113 balls. Howell ended the one day season as Hampshire's top run scorer[8] Immediately following this match he made his first-class debut against Lancashire in the County Championship at the Rose Bowl. Howell continued his good form from the previous limited overs fixture by scoring 71 in Hampshire County Cricket Club second-innings, after being forced to follow-on from their first-innings, in which Howell was dismissed for a three-ball duck by Kyle Hogg.[9] This was his only first-class appearance that season.[10] Hampshire's season was one characterised by struggle, following his good run of form, Howell's season levelled out. He made just one further half century in the Clydesdale Bank 40, against Northamptonshire,[11] while his handful of Twenty20 appearances bought him limited success.

Following the 2011 season, Howell announced in November that he was looking for opportunities away from Hampshire, expressing an interest in finding a county where he was assured of regular appearances in four-day cricket.[12] During the English winter he played cricket in Melbourne, Australia, close to where his parents live, for Essendon Cricket Club in the Victorian Premier League.[13] He Chose to leave Hampshire in January 2012. . .[14]

Gloucestershire CCC

At the start of the 2012 season he joined Gloucestershire, and was called up to make his debut in a first-class match against Kent in the County Championship after making a double hundred for the 2's 2 days prior to his call up.[15] He has made a strong start in Gloucestershire's CB40 campaign with scores of 72(51) against The Netherlands and 45*(48) against Middlesex and 89(93) against Northants. In July 2012, he signed a two-year contract with Gloucestershire for his impressive performances during the trial period at the club.[16]

Howell signed a 2-year extension to his contract on 15 October 2013 having played in all Gloucestershire's County Championship matches and the majority of their limited over games.[17]

Howell has continued to be one of the main players and Gloucestershire with his pivotal role as the club's main allrounder. Howell got married in early July 2015 and has been is sublime form for Gloucestershire since tying the knot. He was the first player ever for Gloucestershire to have a double wicket maiden in a t20 match. He managed this feat against his former club Hampshire County Cricket Club in which he also scored the winning runs and was man of the match. Hampshire have tried to re sign Howell but and the end of the July he extended his contract with Gloucestershire for another 2 years. Howell also made his maiden first-class hundred against Leicestershire at Cheltenham after tying the knot.

On 6 September 2015 Howell helped his side Beat Yorkshire Vikings in the semi-final of the Royal London One Day Cup with a strong bowling performance. (3-37) . Gloucestershire won the Royal One Day Cup Final beating a strong surrey side by 7 runs. This was one of the closest finals in the competition's history

In 2016 Benny Howell was the leading wicket taker in the Natwest T20 Blast. He was rewarded by signing a new 3-year contract with Gloucestershire . His consistent performances in T20 has attracted the eyes of some big T20 competitions. In October 2018, he was named in the squad for the Rangpur Riders team, following the draft for the 2018–19 Bangladesh Premier League.[18]

During the 2018 Bangladeshi Premier League Howell impressed with his miserly bowling displays, with his subtle varieties very much suited to the slower Bangaladeshi wickets. In his 8 matches he picked up 6 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 5.64. His contributions were not limited to the ball with a vital 53* off 28 (featuring 5 sixes) showing his prowess with the bat. This was made no less significant by the fact that the opposition bowling attack featured three greats of the format in Thisara Perera, Wahab Riaz and Shahid Afridi. So good were his performances that AB de Villiers encouraged him to join the IPL auction in 2020. [19] Rather unjustly, he went unsold.

In 2019 he signed a three-year contract extension with Gloucestershire.

Such is his skill that he claims to have 50 different varieties of slower balls. He has developed them through watching baseball pitchers and practises them in his back garden with his dog. [20]

Howell has spoken of his experience of ADHD[21] and how medication has helped him to live with the condition, He said that at school “I was always known as the ‘weird kid’....I was constantly in trouble. Exploring where I shouldn’t explore, making noise in class, running down the corridor....” He says that sport was an escape.[22]

Career best performances

1 August 2015

	Batting				Bowling
	Score	Fixture	Venue	Season	Figures	Fixture	Venue	Season
FC	163	Gloucestershire v Glamorgan County Cricket Club	Cardiff	2017	5/57	Gloucestershire v Leicestershire County Cricket Club	Leicester	2013
LA	122	Hampshire Royals v Surrey Lions	Croydon	2011	3/37	Yorkshire Vikings v Gloucestershire Gladiators	Headingley	2015
T20	57	Gloucestershire Gladiators v Somerset	Taunton	2013	5/18	Gloucestershire Gladiators v Glamorgan	Bristol	2019

References

1. "Player profile: Benny Howell". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
2. "Second Eleven Championship Matches played by Benny Howell". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
3. "List A Matches played by Benny Howell". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
4. Cricinfo staff (27 April 2010). "No English counties in Champions League Twenty20". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
5. "Twenty20 Matches played by Benny Howell". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
6. "Hampshire v Trinidad and Tobago, 2011 Caribbean Twenty20". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
7. "Durham v Hampshire, 2011 Clydesdale Bank 40". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
8. "Surrey v Hampshire, 2011 Clydesdale Bank 40". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
9. "Hampshire v Surrey, 2011 County Championship". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
10. "First-Class Matches played by Benny Howell". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
11. "Northamptonshire v Hampshire, 2011 Clydesdale Bank 40". CricketArchive. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
12. "County Cricket Round-Up – 24th November". www.cricketworld.com. 24 November 2011. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
13. Pellizzeri, Teo (8 November 2011). "Premier Cricket: Bombers face a mammoth task". Moonee Valley Weekly. Archived from the original on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
14. "McKenzie agrees Rose Bowl return". England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). www.ecb.co.uk. 11 January 2012. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
15. "Newcomer Howell To Face Kent". Gloucestershire County Cricket Club. www.gloscricket.co.uk. 18 April 2012. Archived from the original on 1 August 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2012.
16. "Gloucestershire sign Benny Howell on permanent deal". Retrieved 10 July 2012.
17. "Gloucestershire all-rounder earns new deal". Retrieved 31 December 2013.
18. "Full players list of the teams following Players Draft of BPL T20 2018-19". Bangladesh Cricket Board. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
19. "AB de Villiers assures Benny Howell of participation in IPL 2020 Auction". Bangladesh Cricket Board. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
20. "In many ways, Howell is reinvigorating the art of the slower ball". Bangladesh Cricket Board. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
21. Reynolds, Luke (22 May 2020). "Howell delves into ADHD battle". The PCA. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
22. Gibson, Richard (July 2020). "County Diary". The Cricketer. 100.

External links

• Benny Howell at ESPNcricinfo