Toby Roland-Jones rips through South Africa on his Test debut as he joins elite list of impressive England debutants

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  • On Friday, debutant Toby Roland-Jones ripped into the South Africa top order as England resumed battle with the Proteas in the third Test of the four match series.

    The 29-year-old picked up four wickets in a very promising first spell in international cricket.

    As the Middlesex man takes all the plaudits for his brilliant display, we look at three other Englishmen who have had Test debuts to remember in recent times.

    KEVIN PIERSEN AGAINST AUSTRALIA – JULY 2005, OVAL

    The South African-born batsman made his Test bow in the 2005 Ashes series between England and Australia.

    Then a 25-year-old, Pietersen was picked ahead of veteran Graham Thorpe in the Ashes squad by the English selectors.

    Pietersen came in to bat with England at 18 runs for the loss of three wickets in the first innings in reply to Australia’s 190 runs.

    The tall right hander went on to top score with a dogged 57 runs before being dismissed by Shane Warne as the hosts were bundled out for just 155 runs.

    Chasing a mammoth 420 runs in the second innings, England were 103 for the loss of three wickets when Pietersen walked in.

    He waged a one-man battle as the rest of the side crumbled around him to the magic of Glenn McGrath and Warne. He would remain unbeaten on a hard fought 64 as Ricky Ponting’s men won the match by a huge 239 runs.

    He became only the fourth England batsman to top score in both innings of their debut Test.

    The trademark Pietersen sweeps were on display in his maiden Test

    The trademark Pietersen sweeps were on display in his maiden Test.

    HASEEB HAMEED AGAINST INDIA – NOVEMBER 2016, RAJKOT

    Hameed was just 19 when he was picked for England’s five match tour of India in the winter of 2016.

    The Lancashire man was called on to open the innings along with stalwart Alastair Cook based on his strong showing in county cricket and the right-hander scored a promising 31 runs in the first innings before being trapped in front by Ravichandran Ashwin.

    England would go on to take a lead of 49 runs in the first innings after centuries for Joe Root and Ben Stokes.

    It was in the second innings that Hameed shone the brightest as he scored a very fluid 82 in testing conditions. The teenager showed excellent technique and temperament in dealing with the spin threat of the Indian bowlers before handing a return catch to Amit Mishra.

    In the process, the Bolton-born teenager became the third youngest English player to score a half-century on Test debut.

    Hameed’s maturity beyond his age and the way he counter-attacked Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja in the second innings earns him a spot on this list.

    ALASTAIR COOK AGAINST INDIA – MARCH 2006, NAGPUR

    The former skipper had a fairytale debut in the dust cauldron of Nagpur during England’s tour of the subcontinent.

    The then 21-year-old Cook was in the West Indies as part of the English Cricket Board (ECB) National Academy tour when he was called up to replace the injured Michael Vaughan for the India tour.

    The Essex man was thrown straight into the playing eleven for the Nagpur Test and did not disappoint as he scored 60 runs in a watchful first innings.

    Cook’s innings along with Paul Colingwood’s unbeaten century enabled England to earn a 70 runs first innings lead against the hosts.

    The young left-hander with a classical technique dug deep in the second innings in a marathon innings to become the 16th English batsman to score a century on debut.

    He also remains one of only five England debutants to score a century and half century in their maiden Test.

    Cook displayed flawless technique on his maiden call-up.

    Cook displayed flawless technique on his maiden call-up.

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