Player Profile

Matthew Hurst - feel free to call him Matty - is a wicketkeeper batter from the village of Billinge, which straddles the rugby league heartlands of Wigan and St Helens. It’s no real surprise, therefore, that he’s a cricketer who is good with his hands.

Hurst, now 20-years-old, signed his maiden rookie professional contract with Lancashire at the end of the 2022 summer and prepared for 2023 with an Ashes tour with the England Under 19s, playing two Test Matches and a trio of ODIs.

He batted at four in the Tests and returned a top score of 55 in the opening victory at Brisbane before taking the gloves in the 50-over matches and batting at three.

It stood him in very good stead as well, as he had a 2023 to remember, playing 10 first-team matches across the County Championship and One-Day Cup.

He debuted in the latter competition and hit one fifty in eight matches - 66 in a win over Middlesex at Lord’s - and he shared the wicketkeeping duties with George Bell.

He then played the last two Championship matches of the season, both draws against Nottinghamshire and Kent, and hit unbeaten scores of 54 and 76 in the middle order.

He is a right-hander who started his cricketing journey at Newton-le-Willows before moving to play for Leigh, and he is a fearless and innovative batter who packs a punch.

Hurst played Under 14s cricket for Lancashire before progressing through the age-groups to the Academy and into the second-team, making his debut for the latter in 2020.

In 36 appearances for the seconds since, he has impressed with seven fifties and a century.

That ton was 101 batting at number six in a Championship win over Leicestershire at Kibworth in April 2022.

With George Lavelle in the side that week, he played as a specialist batter.

That was also the case in his first two first-team Championship appearances at the end of 2023