Tom Alsop

Tom Alsop was earmarked from early on in his career as a future England player, but his development stalled in his early 20s as he tried to lock down a spot in Hampshire's first team. A move to Sussex in 2022 - initially on loan and then as a permanent deal - came as a tonic: 930 runs, including four hundreds, in the Championship; 318 in the Blast, leading the way for his new team; and a career-best 189 not out in the Royal London Cup.

Alsop hit his maiden first-class century against Surrey at The Oval in 2016. His breakthrough innings was tinged with sadness as he dedicated it to his fellow Hampshire opening batsman, Michael Carberry, who had been an early influence on his development at the Hampshire academy, and who had been diagnosed with cancer in mid-season. By then, Alsop's shift of emphasis from wicketkeeper to top-order batter had distilled; he struck more than 1200 runs in all formats, being particularly productive in 50-over cricket where he averaged 54 and was called up for an England Lions tour of Sri Lanka where he and Daniel Bell-Drummond shared a record Lions third-wicket stand of 200.

Alsop graduated through the Hampshire youth system. In May 2013, as a 17-year old, he first caught the eye when he was thrown into the Hampshire first team to keep wicket for 15 overs of their YB40 match against Lancashire because of a late injury to Adam Wheater. His first-class debut came against Kent at the end of 2014, and he also played in the final match in Cardiff where Hampshire clinched promotion. That summer he also impressed for England Under-19s with a series of strong performances.

Although his 2017 started positively with an unbeaten hundred against Kent at the start of Hampshire's Royal London Cup campaign, he suffered for a lack of opportunities in the Championship, going two seasons without a hundred. In 2019, he made a career-best 150 while keeping wicket at Edgbaston, but that innings accounted for almost half his runs; there were also two hundreds in the Royal London Cup as Hampshire reached the final. He started the 2021 campaign with two hundreds in his first four innings, and played every game of the Championship for the first time, but was allowed to leave the following summer, having averaged 26.88 after eight seasons in the first team.
ESPNcricinfo staff