14 Facts about Michael Lumb – The Swashbuckling English Opener

Michael Lumb is one of the most talented openers to have played for England. He was one of the key members of the England team that won their first ever ICC major title, ICC World T20 in 2010. He provided the initial blitz with opening partner Craig Kieswetter that set the tone for the England team on most occasions then. There is more to the life of this talented cricketer who perhaps didn’t get all the share of limelight he deserved. Here are some interesting facts about Michael Lumb.

1. Early Life – cricketing roots:

Michael Lumb was born on 12 February 1980 at Johannesburg in South Africa. He is the son of former Yorkshire opener, Richard Lumb. He spent his childhood and initial days of cricket in South Africa. He completed his primary education at Montrose Primary and then moved to St Stithians College in Johannesburg.

2. Nicknames:

He is popularly known as Lumby among his teammates. He is also nicknamed as Joe by some of his close friends.

3. From Transvaal to Yorkshire:

Lumb spent his early cricket days playing in the age groups for the Transvaal province in South Africa. He was impressive with his performances in the junior teams. He then decided to move back to his roots in England and play for Yorkshire.

4. County debut:

Lumb was soon picked up to play for the Yorkshire team in the County Championships. His first-class debut came in 2001 at the age of 21, when he played against the touring side of Zimbabwe. He scored an unbeaten 66 in the match. His hard-hitting batting was on display then.

5. Maiden first-class ton and a record to his name:

Although Yorkshire won the County Championships in 2001, Lumb was out of most of the matches due to injuries. He recorded his maiden first-class ton against Leicestershire. In doing so, he became part of only the fourth father and son pair to score centuries for Yorkshire.

6. Prolific 2002-03 season and ECB National Academy Stint:

He scored heavily, in excess of thousand runs, in 2002-03 County season with an average in excess of 40 and was offered a stint at the ECB National Academy as a result of it. However, he could not sustain his form and thus lost his contract with Yorkshire in 2005.

7. Move to Hampshire:

Lumb decided not to renew his contract in 2007 and chose to play for Hampshire instead. His move paid rich dividends. Playing for the Hampshire in Friends Provident T20 Trophy, he mustered 442 runs in 11 matches which helped his side lift the trophy. His best performance came against Essex when he scored 124 of just 69 balls.

8. The IPL contract:

His teammate at Hampshire, Shane Warne, was highly impressed with his talent and this yielded him an IPL contract of $ US 50,000 with the Rajasthan Royals at the start of 2010 season. In the next season, he was picked up by the Deccan Chargers. He played 12 IPL matches to score 278 runs with a top score of 83 in the tournament.

9. International debut and the World Cup:

Michael Lumb was picked up in the English squad for the 2010 ICC World T20 to be held in the West Indies. He made his T20 international debut against West Indies and scored a quickfire 28 before becoming Chris Gayle’s victim. Throughout the tournament, he gave brisk starts to his side along with Craig Kieswetter that enabled England to beat the Australians in the finals and lift the trophy.

10. Century on ODI debut:

Playing against West Indies on his ODI debut, Lumb scored 106 off 117 balls to almost chase down the West Indian total of 269. He became only the second cricketer after Dennis Amiss to score a century on ODI debut for England and ninth player overall to do so. England lost the match by 15 runs. However, he was awarded the Man of the Match for his gritty knock.

11. Big Bash:

Lumb joined the Queensland Bulls as one of their overseas players for the 2010-11 KFC Big Bash. The following year, he moved to Sydney Sixers and performed heavily for them in the BBL and subsequently in the Champions League.

12. Hero of CLT20 finals:

Playing for the Sydney Sixers in the Champions League in South Africa in 2012, Lumb hit an unbeaten 82 off 42 balls as the Australian franchise beat Lions by 10 wickets in the final.

13. Contract with Nottinghamshire:

After his contract with Hampshire got over, Michael Lumb moved to Nottinghamshire. His debut season for Nottinghamshire yielded more than 1,400 runs across all formats, including 910 in the Championship.

14. Prolific first-class career:

Lumb did not make many appearances for the national outfit. But his numbers in the first-class cricket are staggering. Having played 185 first-class matches, Lumb has amassed 10309 runs at an average close to 43 with a top score of 221* against Nottinghamshire in 2010.