Daniel Bell-Drummond

Daniel James Bell-Drummond (born 4 August 1993) is an English professional cricketer, who plays for Kent County Cricket Club primarily as a batsman. He has represented England at youth level and has played for the England Lions cricket team at senior level.

Daniel Bell-Drummond

Bell-Drummond playing for Kent at Beckenham in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Daniel James Bell-Drummond
Born	(1993-08-04) 4 August 1993 (age 29) Lewisham, London
Nickname	DBD, Deebs
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium-fast
Role	Batsman
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2011–	Kent (squad no. 23)
2017	Rajshahi Kings
2018/19	Auckland (squad no. 23)
2020	Colombo Kings (squad no. 23)
2021	Birmingham Phoenix (squad no. 45)
FC debut	18 May 2011 Kent v Loughborough MCCU
LA debut	31 July 2011 Kent v Worcestershire
Career statistics
Competition FC LA T20 Matches 141 89 136 Runs scored 7,339 3,381 3,716 Batting average 33.20 42.26 29.49 100s/50s 15/35 6/22 1/29 Top score 206* 171* 112* Balls bowled 1,142 155 111 Wickets 22 5 5 Bowling average 27.54 24.20 38.20 5 wickets in innings 0 0 0 10 wickets in match 0 0 0 Best bowling 3/37 2/22 2/19 Catches/stumpings 55/0 32/– 43/–
Source: Cricinfo, 28 September 2022

Early life

Bell-Drummond was born in Lewisham in south-east London in 1993.^[1] His parents are of Jamaican descent and he has described how watching both West Indian and English cricket home was a major influence on his development.^[2][3][4] He was spotted by Kent County Cricket Club playing for Catford Wanderers as a seven-year-old and progressed through the county system, scoring his first century for the under-10 side aged just seven.^[3][4] He played for Kent age group teams, scoring centuries at every level, before joining the Cricket Academy at Kent where he was awarded the John Aitken Gary Trophy as the Academy Scholar of the Year in 2010.^[3][5] He signed a three-year professional contract with Kent in September 2010 at age 17.^[6][7][8]

Bell-Drummond attended Dulwich Prep and won a scholarship to Millfield School^[9][10] and played cricket for the school team as well as for England at under–15, under–17 and under–19 levels, captaining the under–17 side against Sri Lanka in 2010.^[11] He completed his sixth form studies at the school in 2012 after signing his professional contract with Kent^[12][13] and was named the Young Wisden Schools Cricketer of the Year in the 2012 edition of Wisden after scoring over 800 runs for Millfield in 2011.^[14]

England youth cricket

Having represented England at under-15 and under-17 levels, Bell-Drummond played for the England under-19 cricket team against Sri Lanka in 2010.^[15] He made his youth Test debut on 21 July 2010 at the County Ground, Northampton before scoring unbeaten 88 in the second youth Test later in the same month, aged only 16.^[16][6] He played in both under-19 Test matches and in four youth one-day international matches during England's return tour of Sri Lanka in January and February 2011.^[17][18]

In July 2011 Bell-Drummond played in a one-day series against South Africa under-19s. He top-scored for England in three of the seven matches in the series and was the leading run scorer for the team in the series, scoring 329 runs in seven innings at an average of 47.00.^{[19][20][21][22]}

After touring Bangladesh with the England under-19 side during January and February 2012 and again leading the team in run scoring, playing in all seven youth ODIs,^[23][24][25] Bell-Drummond played in a four-way 50-over competition against the Australia, India and New Zealand under-19s in North Queensland in April 2012.^[26] He was the leading run-scorer in the competition with 287 runs at an average of 95.66,^[27] including a match-winning 103 not out against Australia in an innings when the next highest score for the England team was 28.^[28] Later the same month he was described as "perhaps the most exciting young batsman in the country"^[29] and was named in the England team for the 2012 Under-19 World Cup, held in Queensland in August 2012.^[30] By his standards he had a disappointing tournament after being tipped as "one of the batsmen to watch".^[31]

Senior cricket career

Bell-Drummond made his first-class cricket debut for Kent at the age of 17 in a university match against Loughborough MCCU in May 2011, scoring 80 runs from 103 balls.^[32] In July the same year he made his senior List A cricket debut in a Clydesdale Bank 40 match against Worcestershire before going on to play in three County Championship matches for Kent towards the end of the 2011 season.^[32] He spent most of the 2012 season playing for Kent's Second XI, making only two first-class appearances during the season, including against the touring South Africans at Canterbury^[4]

He made his maiden first-class century in April 2013 against a Cardiff University side and used the innings to become a regular in the Kent side during the 2013 season.^[33][34] After cementing his place in the Kent side in all forms of cricket and scoring a century against the touring Australian side in June 2015, Bell-Drummond was awarded his county cap in August 2015.^{[34][35][36][37]} In August 2015 he deputised as an emergency wicket-keeper in Kent's County Championship match at Derby when Sam Billings suffered a finger injury, keeping wicket until Ryan Davies arrived from Second XI duty to act as a substitute.^[38] He deputised again in May 2017 when Adam Rouse injured a thumb, taking one catch behind the stumps.^[39]

In December 2015 Bell-Drummond made his first appearance for England Lions against the United Arab Emirates in a T20 match in Dubai. He scored 5 runs from 5 deliveries opening the batting. Later the same month he played in the final game of the five match T20 series against Pakistan A scoring 17 runs.^[40]

Bell-Drummond made an excellent start to the 2016 domestic season, hitting his maiden first-class double-hundred against Loughborough MCCU followed by a century in his first innings of the County Championship season against Leicestershire.^[34][41] He and Tom Latham then combined for two first-wicket century partnerships in Kent's opening home match of the Championship against Glamorgan, only the third time this had been achieved in the same championship match in the county's history.^[42][43] Bell-Drummond was selected for England Lions again during the 2016 summer, playing limited overs matches against both Pakistan A and Sri Lanka A. He scored his highest List A cricket score of 171 not out against Sri Lanka A at Canterbury during the series of matches as he combined with Ben Duckett to post the second highest List A partnership on record.^[44][45]

During the 2016–17 English off-season Bell-Drummond was again selected for the Lions, playing against the UAE in Dubai during December and in the List A matches against Sri Lanka A in March, scoring a century in the 4th match of the series.^[46] He was also chosen to play in the North v South pre-season series in the United Arab Emirates.^[47]

Bell-Drummond was signed as injury cover by the Rajshahi Kings during the 2017–18 Bangladesh Premier League season. He made his debut in the competition on 21 November 2017,^[48] although only played once for the team. After playing for Kent in the Caribbean 2017–18 Regional Super50 competition, he played in the North v South pre-season series in Barbados and captained the MCC side in the Champion County match.^[49][50]

Good form in one-day cricket during the 2018 promotion season was followed by Bell-Drummond signing a new, long-term contract with Kent during the 2018/19 off-season, despite only averaging 19.82 in the County Championship and not having scored a century in first-class cricket in the previous two seasons.^[51][52] During the off-season he played Sydney Grade Cricket for Randwick Petersham Cricket Club, making a century on his debut in the first grade competition^[53][54] before being signed to play in the later stages of the 2018–19 Super Smash T20 competition in New Zealand for Auckland.^[55]

The 2019 season saw Bell-Drummond lead Kent's batting, scoring a club best 987 runs in first-class cricket. He broke his run of seasons without a first-class hundred, scoring a century against Warwickshire, registering his highest County Championship score of 166 runs.^[56] He scored six half-centuries in first-class cricket, was Kent's leading T20 run scorer and scored a century in the Royal London Cup competition, averaging more than 60 runs per innings in four matches in the competition.^[57] The shortened 2020 season saw Bell-Drummond once again as Kent's leading T20 run scorer, although he failed to score a first-class half-century, playing in all of Kent's five matches and captaining the side in the absence of both club captain Sam Billings and Joe Denly, both of whom were on England duty. During the 2020/21 off-season he played for Colombo Kings in the inaugural season of the Lanka Premier League.

In February 2021, he was drafted by Birmingham Phoenix for the inaugural season of The Hundred.^[58] He featured in the side's first three group stage matches but failed to score more than 12 runs in an innings.^[59][60]

In April 2022, he was bought by the London Spirit for the 2022 season of The Hundred.^[61]

Platform cricket project

During 2017 Bell-Drummond set up Platform, a cricket project aiming to increase participation in the sport by young people based in the London Borough of Lewisham, the area in which he grew up. The project involves reintroducing the sport into local primary schools and includes after-school and winter coaching. It ran a cricket festival for school children at Deptford during 2018 and was initially funded by Bell-Drummond and a business partner.^{[2][9][62][63]} Lewisham is a relatively low-income London borough with a significant Afro-Caribbean population and the initiative was partly influences by a decline in participation in cricket in the Afro-Caribbean population.^[64] In 2018 it was revealed that Bell-Drummond was one of only eight black or mixed-race cricketers playing in the County Championship, with only three, including Bell-Drummond, aged 25 or under.^[9][2] A 2020 study revealed that Bell-Drummond was one of only nine black players who featured in the County Championship during the 2019 season, down from a figure of 33 in 1995.^[65]

Career best performances

As of July 2022, Bell-Drummond has scored 15 first-class centuries, including one double-century. His highest score of 206 not out was made against Loughborough MCC University at the start of the 2016 season at the St Lawrence Ground in Canterbury.^[1][66] His maiden first-class century was scored against Cardiff MCC University at the start of the 2013 season.^[33] In July 2022 he scored two centuries in a single match for the first time, batting for nine hours in a match against Surrey at The Oval and making scores of 102 and 107 not out to help save the game for Kent.^[67]

He has scored six List A centuries, with a highest score of 171 not out made for England Lions in 2016,^[68] and one T20 century, a score of 112 not out made against Surrey at the Nevill Ground, Tunbridge Wells in 2016.^[69] In 2017 he and Joe Denly set Kent's record partnership for any wicket in T20 cricket, adding 207 runs for the first wicket against Essex at Chelmsford. This was a world record opening partnership in Twenty20 cricket, and the third highest in the world for any wicket in the format.^[70] Earlier in the same season he and Denly had scored 163 runs against Surrey for the first-wicket at The Oval, setting the previous highest partnership for any wicket for Kent.^[71][72]

Despite having bowled regularly whilst playing age-group cricket, Bell-Drummond has only bowled infrequently in senior cricket, citing a number of injury concerns as the main reason for not doing so.^[73] He took his first professional wicket in 2018 and began to bowl rather more frequently during the start of the 2019 season, taking five wickets during Kent's 2019 Royal London One-Day Cup campaign with his "slippery right-arm seamers" and contributing wickets in the County Championship.^[73][74] His best first-class bowling figures of three wickets for 47 runs were taken against Middlesex at the end of the 2021 season. He took took 2/22 against Surrey during the 2019 season's One-Day Cup, his best List A bowling figures,^[74][75] and 2/19 against Somerset in the 2019 t20 Blast, his first T20 wickets.^[76]

Updated 10 July 2022

	Batting				Bowling (innings)
	Score	Fixture	Venue	Season	Analysis	Fixture	Venue	Season
First-class cricket	206 not out	Kent v Loughborough MCCU	Canterbury	2016	3/47	Kent v Middlesex	Canterbury	2022
List A cricket	171 not out	England Lions v Sri Lanka A	Canterbury	2016	2/22	Kent v Surrey	Beckenham	2019
Twenty20 cricket	112 not out	Kent v Surrey	Tunbridge Wells	2016	2/19	Kent v Somerset	Taunton	2019

References

1. Daniel Bell-Drummond, CricInfo. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
2. Sajad K (2018) BBC Get Inspired: Where are all the black English cricketers?, BBC Get Inspired, 2018-08-01. Retrieved 2018-08-02.
3. Pearson G (2011) West Indian influence rubbing off on future Kent ace Bell-Drummond, Kent News, 2011-08-07. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
4. Moonda F (2012) Bell-Drummond happy to take slow road, CricInfo, 2012-07-16. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
5. Kent's Bell-Drummond collects academy gong, Bexley Times, 2010-09-13. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
6. England Under-19 batsman Bell-Drummond signs for Kent, CricInfo, 2010-09-29. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
7. Rising England cricket starlet signs three-year deal with Kent, Bexley Times, 2010-09-29. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
8. Kent contract for Daniel Bell-Drummond, BBC Sport, 2010-09-30. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
9. Ronay B (2018) Daniel Bell-Drummond: 'We want people from all backgrounds coming to cricket clubs', The Guardian, 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
10. Holden R (2015) A crying shame, The Nightwatchman vol.8, 2015-03-17. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
11. Bell-Drummond to skipper England U17 side, Bexley Times, 2010-08-05. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
12. Three Lions honour for Millfield students^{[permanent dead link]}, SomersetLive, 2011-01-28. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
13. Davies G A (2011) Millfield School's Daniel Bell-Drummond impresses on his debut for Kent, The Daily Telegraph, 2011-05-26. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
14. Wilde S (2013) Wisden Cricketers of the Year: A Celebration of Cricket's Greatest Players, p.369, A & C Black. (Available online, retrieved 2016-12-03).
15. Three new faces in England U-19 squad, CricInfo, 2010-07-05. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
16. Javid and Bell-Drummond ensure series-levelling victory, CricInfo, 2010-07-30. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
17. Under-19 Test matches played by Daniel Bell-Drummond, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
18. Under-19 ODI matches played by Daniel Bell-Drummond, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
19. South Africa win despite Bell-Drummond 86, CricInfo, 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
20. England level series with four-wicket win, CricInfo, 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
21. de Kock steers South Africa to series win, CricInfo, 2011-07-30. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
22. Records / South Africa Under-19s in England Youth ODI Series, 2011 / Most runs, CricInfo. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
23. Adam Ball to lead England U-19s in Bangladesh, CricInfo, 2011-12-23. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
24. Al-Amin stars in comprehensive Bangladesh win, CricInfo, 2012-02-04. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
25. Records / England Under-19s tour of Bangladesh, Jan-Feb 2012, CricInfo. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
26. England name U-19 squad for Australia, CricInfo, 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
27. Records / Quadrangular Under-19 Series (Australia), 2012 / Most runs, CricInfo. Retrieved 2012-05-06.
28. Bell-Drummond leads England U-19 home, CricInfo, 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
29. Winter A (2012) Adams content with Kent progress, CricInfo, 2012-04-22. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
30. Ball to captain England at U-19 World Cup, CricInfo, 2012-07-06. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
31. Binoy G (2012) England plot a way past South Africa's batsmen, CricInfo, 2012-08-18. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
32. First-class matches played by Daniel Bell-Drummond, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2017-01-28.
33. Kent teenager hits maiden first-class century, BBC Sport, 2013-04-11. Retrieved 2013-07-13.
34. Wilson J (2016) Bell-Drummond stays grounded as he pursues the dream, CricInfo, 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
35. Barrett C (2015) Ashes 2015: Kent's Daniel Bell-Drummond in disbelief after ton against Australia, Sydney Morning Herald, 2015-06-29. Retrieved 2016-12-03.
36. Century against Australia delights Kent's Daniel Bell-Drummond, BBC Sport, 2015-06-29. Retrieved 2016-04-05.
37. Daniel Bell-Drummond and Sam Billings awarded county caps, Kent County Cricket Club, 2015-08-05. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
38. Hunn hits back after Godleman hundred, CricInfo, 2015-08-21. Retrieved 2016-09-10.
39. South African duo give Leicestershire the edge, CricInfo, 2017-05-21. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
40. Malan heroics seal the series after tie, ESPN cricinfo, 2015-12-16. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
41. Bell-Drummond handles Foxes after Dickson handles ball, CricInfo, 2016-04-24. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
42. Webb N (2016) County Championship: Kent beat Glamorgan by 10 wickets, BBC Wales sport website, 2016-05-04. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
43. Bell-Drummond and Latham continue prolific start, CricInfo, 2016-05-04. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
44. Duckett double-ton as Lions smash records, CricInfo, 2016-07-25. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
45. Duckett's 'crazy week' showcases depth of batting power, CricInfo, 2016-07-29. Retrieved 2016-08-07.
46. Hopps D (2017) Bell-Drummond, Alsop give Carberry a reason to smile, CricInfo. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
47. North v South: England bowlers Mark Wood and Steven Finn receive call-ups, BBC Sport, 2016-12-17. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
48. DBD called up to Bangladesh Premier League, Kent County Cricket Club, 2017-11-17. Retrieved 2017-11-21.
49. Bell-Drummond leads MCC in curtain-raiser, CricInfo, 2018-02-01. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
50. Nick Gubbins: Middlesex opener stars in South's win over North in Barbados, BBC Sport, 2018-03-19. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
51. Ellis A (2018) Kent's Daniel Bell-Drummond signs new long-term deal, The Cricket Paper, 2018-11-28. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
52. Fordham J (2018) Kent give Daniel Bell-Drummond contract extension, Kent Online, 2018-11-28. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
53. Daniel Bell-Drummond steals the show as Steve Smith and David Warner face off in grade cricket, The Cricketer, 2018-11-10. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
54. Steve Smith misses fifty in David Warner club cricket showdown, The Guardian, 2018-11-10. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
55. Daniel Bell-Drummond joins Aces for Super Smash, Auckland Aces, 2019-01-19. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
56. Daniel Bell-Drummond cracks Championship best as bat dominates ball, CricInfo, 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
57. Daniel Bell-Drummond drives Kent to comfortable victory over Essex, CricInfo, 2019-05-05. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
58. "Daniel Bell-Drummond selected for The Hundred by Birmingham Phoenix". Kent Online. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
59. "Full Scorecard of Phoenix vs Originals 6th Match 2021 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
60. "Full Scorecard of Phoenix vs Brave 11th Match 2021 – Score Report | ESPNcricinfo.com". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
61. "The Hundred 2022: latest squads as Draft picks revealed". BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
62. McSteen A (2018) Lewisham's England and Kent cricketer Bell-Drummond keen to give back to borough through new project, South London Press and Mercury, 2018-06-06. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
63. Collins A (2019) 'I have to give back while I'm relevant to my community' – Daniel Bell-Drummond on making a difference, CricInfo, 2019-04-04. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
64. McSteen A (2018) Lewisham's Kent cricket star aiming to get local children playing the sport, South London Press and Mercury, 2018-06-12. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
65. Herman, Martyn (6 July 2020). "Lack of Black players in county cricket not good enough, says Atherton". Reuters. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
66. Crouch J (2016) Bell-Drummond at the double for Kent, Kent Sports News, 2016-04-05. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
67. County Championship: Daniel Bell-Drummond century earns Kent draw with Surrey, BBC Sport, 2022-06-29. Retrieved 2022-07-10.
68. Bell-Drummond hits career best 171* as Lions sweep series, Kent County Cricket Club, 2016-07-25. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
69. Bell-Drummond's best keeps Kent hopes alive, CricInfo, 2016-07-16. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
70. World-record opening stand for Denly and Bell-Drummond, CricInfo, 2017-08-17. Retrieved 2017-08-17.
71. Hoad A (2017) Joe Denly hits an unbeaten century as Kent Spitfires beat Surrey by eight wickets in NatWest T20 Blast South Group, Kent Online, 2017-07-14. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
72. Mitchell B (2017) T20 Blast: Lancashire v Yorkshire ends in a tie, Joe Denly & Clint McKay shine, BBC Sport, 2017-07-14. Retrieved 2017-07-15.
73. Daniel Bell-Drummond wary of bowling strain: "I don't want to become an obvious option too quickly", The Cricketer, 2019-05-09. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
74. Daniel Bell-Drummond, CricketArchive. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
75. Surrey fired out cheaply again as Kent claim first win, CricInfo, 2019-05-02. Retrieved 2019-07-12.
76. Hopps D (2019) Tom Banton blasts 51-ball hundred to lead Kent rout, CricInfo, 2019-08-10. Retrieved 2019-08-15.

External links

• Daniel Bell-Drummond at ESPNcricinfo
• Kent County Cricket Club profile

Preceded by Will Vanderspar

Young Wisden Schools Cricketer of the Year 2012

Succeeded by Tom Abell