George Garton signs for Warwickshire after moving on from Sussex

George Garton has joined Warwickshire on a three-year deal after parting company with his boyhood club, Sussex.

Garton, 26, will link up with the Warwickshire squad in November for pre-season testing, ahead of a stint at the Abu Dhabi T10s alongside his new club team-mate Moeen Ali.

As a left-arm quick, Garton made his England debut on the T20I tour of the Caribbean in January 2022, but has yet to add to his solitary cap. His development, however, was hampered in June 2021, when - as part of England's ODI squad to face Pakistan - he contracted long Covid, a condition that left him fatigued for more than a year.

He has, however, been on the selectors' radar for several years, and in 2017-18, aged 20, he was drafted into England's Ashes squad as emergency cover. Previously, he had represented England at Under-19 level, claiming 72 wickets from 81 games overall including appearances at the 2016 World Cup.

"I am delighted to be joining the Bears and I have the utmost respect for the club and its history," Garton said. "The club has a tremendous record of winning trophies and I hope to contribute to winning more of them.

"There is a strong playing squad and respected group of coaches at Edgbaston and I am particularly keen to work with Mark Robinson having known him for a long time.

"I feel my best years as a player are ahead of me and I retain huge ambitions in the game. I can't wait to get started ahead of the 2024 season."

Garton has joined Warwickshire with the option of playing first-class cricket, a format in which he has claimed 55 wickets in 26 appearances to date, including a dismissal with his first ball against Leeds/Bradford MCCU at Hove.

However, it is his white-ball expertise that will be of greatest value to the club, given his extensive from stints in the IPL, Big Bash, SA20, and Abu Dhabi T10, alongside his domestic opportunities with Sussex and Southern Brave in the Hundred.

Mark Robinson, Warwickshire's first-team coach, was still in charge at Sussex when Garton first signed for the club in 2015.

"When someone asks you would you be interested in signing a bowler who can bowl 85mph-plus, is one of the best fielders in the country and is a destructive batter, the answer wasn't hard to give," Robinson said.

"I knew George as a young player working his way through the youth squads and he was always known as a player of huge potential.

"As a left armer, he will give us variety in our attack, becoming another player who can change a game at any moment with either bat, ball or in the field.

"George is very driven, hugely competitive and comes to us at the right time in a mental place determined to get back into the England team.

"At the moment George wants to focus on white-ball cricket, but the door will always be open for him to return to the red ball format."