The latest on Hampshire's conveyer belt of fast bowlers' unforgettable debut

The year is 2008.

People watched as Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt continued to mesmerise the world at the Beijing Olympics. Closer to home, Jimmy Anderson was man of the summer in his sixth year of international cricket. Even Luke Littler had already celebrated a birthday. And (the now Hampshire bowler) Kyle Abbott began his first season of professional cricket – his newest teammate wasn’t even born.

While Abbott was absent on Manny Lumsden’s debut in professional cricket, it isn’t long until he can mentor the 16-year-old. One thing that wasn’t absent from Lumsden’s debut however, was excitement and unforgettability, for better or for worse.

Seeing a new name on a teamsheet always brings questions but when they are 16, everyone is intrigued. Talks of pace was around the press box as soon as I arrived with Hampshire warming up on the small outground at Neath in south-west Wales. The first question I could ask was one of a pessimist: “Is he going to play?”

I was met with an answer I couldn’t question, “They only have three seamers in the squad [of 13], average age of 18, he’ll have to.”

Then I decided to take a proper look as he warms up. He’s quick.

Batting first, Lumsden would have to wait anxiously. Although based on what was seen by the onlookers packed around the ground, most of which sat no more than five yards away from the boundary rope, he had no anxiety to bowl.

After Dom Kelly struggled to hit the right areas, the November-born 2008 baby was brought on to bowl, one over left in the powerplay.

You can only assume no one at Glamorgan knew anything about him, staff, analysts, nobody. A quick search on ESPNcricinfo would’ve only told you about a few 2^nd XI matches, even that not extensive, and that he bowled ‘right arm medium’.

First ball, what can go through your mind at that age? Just hit a length and avoid a boundary? Don’t try too hard? Well, what came showed that either Lumsden had no concerns of fear, or that adrenaline was pumping so much that he’d bowl as quickly as he ever had.

A back-of-a-length ball to square up Kiran Carlson and whiz past his chest. Then what goes through your mind? Just do that again?

Perhaps the nerves caught up with him. Wide, no ball + six, wide followed. All of a sudden, you’ve conceded 10 runs from one ball (a ball that any bowler would be proud of). Professional cricket is relentless.

What about six, six from the next two, unimaginable isn’t it? Unfortunately for Lumsden, all of his debut nightmares from the night before in a hotel room in south Wales had come true. It was possible that this would be the shortest career in cricket history – one over and dragged off with a pat on the back and an “unlucky mate, don’t worry about it.”

Seamlessly though, everyone in the press box had spotted the same thing. The runs conceded can be addressed in a career possible of spanning 20 years if you debut at 16; what can’t be taught is the raw talent on display. And best of all, he still kept running in, pushing the frontline every ball, bowling as fast as anyone had all day. No one could look away. Everyone was in a giddy awe when the nightmare became something of a dream when he finished off his 23-run over with a wicket, beating the opening batter – Eddie Byrom for pace.

Soon enough, the moments of brutality from the last three minutes had all been forgotten and he got his round of applause. Nick Gubbins certainly felt the presence of Manny Lumsden and gave him another over.

At least this time he could have a slightly more defensive field. He didn’t need it for ball one, Billy Root, rushed, giving short-mid-wicket the simplest of catches for two-in-two.

Carlson certainly enjoyed facing Lumsden, the three-over spell was simply a highlights package. The boundaries not big enough to stop a Glamorgan record number of sixes in an innings, on occasion the hands not quick enough to keep up with the pace as perfectly demonstrated by the last over of the spell, two sixes, four dots. Good over or costly, no one could quite work it out.

A second spell when pressure certainly was on, Carlson had smashed a century and was facing as many balls as he could, chancing his arm at everything, Lamsden was just bowling as quick as possible.

The wicket to effectively win the game was the 16-year-old’s. Not quite the most appealing debut to the armchair scorecard browsers: three for 64 from five overs. To those in attendance it was something special.

If there are keen eyes for Eddie Jack’s raw pace, Hampshire’s 19-year-old attack leader on this Metro Bank One-Day Cup opener, eyes don’t have to wander too far to spot the next bit of exhilaration.

An arm around the shoulder from Kyle Abbott to come could mean things are only going to get better. While the 2008 professional can give control, the 2008 baby can express himself when the pair play together.

In a game that had two centuries (both career bests), a 17-year-old scoring a remarkably destructive yet full of nous 74, four debutants and a mostly negatively watchable spell of sixes, the only thing that could stay in my mind was, I can’t wait to see other people spot this guy.