What a way to start your Test career for England!
Young York cricket star Matthew Fisher bagged a wicket with his second ever Test match delivery to put England firmly in the driving seat.
And his family will be celebrating twice over – as they have reportedly won £5,000 from a ten-year-old bet that he would play for his country.
You never forget your first! 🏏
— Cricket on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) March 17, 2022
Matthew Fisher takes the wicket of John Campbell with just the second ball of his Test career.
What a moment for the Englishman! 🏴 #WIvENG pic.twitter.com/rFvWU3HajF
Matthew, 24, was only brought into the team as a last minute replacement for Craig Overton, who fell ill.
And his wicket came after a superb batting performance, centuries from Ben Stokes and Joe Root enabling England to declare on 507 for 9 at the Kensington Oval.
His first delivery in Test cricket was pushed to the boundary – only for his second to take John Campbell’s inside edge.
There was a touching moment when Matthew pointed to the sky as he celebrated joyously with his new team-mates, with the seamer having lost his father Phil as a 14-year-old.
Yorkshire seamer Fisher was later denied a second wicket by a tiny margin when nobody could be sure if Shamarh Brooks’ edge had been held cleanly by Zak Crawley.
When he was a child, Matthew would pretend to be England bowling legend Jimmy Anderson when he practised with his two older brothers in the net they built in their back garden growing up near York.
Anderson was dropped for this series – and Matthew got the call-up to join the England team touring the West Indies last month.
His appearance was doubly sweet for his family. His mother and brothers are reported to have placed a £100 bet on him to represent England at odds of 50-1 when he was 14. Which means they have now netted £5K!
Precociously talented, he made his senior debut for club side Sheriff Hutton Bridge when just seven.
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Matthew broke a 91-year-old record when he became the youngest man to play a competitive county game, featuring in the final season of the 40-over competition for Yorkshire aged 15, missing a French oral GCSE exam.
He made his first-class debut as a 17-year-old but injuries stalled his career. And now he’s made a remarkable debut for England. Go Matt!