Fuller Proving His Worth In New Zealand
16 January 2013
James Fuller is rubbing shoulders with his idol Brett Lee after helping Otago Volts to the final stages of their domestic T20 competion.
The Gloucestershire pace bowler originally went to New Zealand in early November to play club cricket for Takapuna in Auckland where he was brought up.
But the trip has proved more fruitful than imagined as James was soon selected for Otago's T20 squad as second overseas player to Ryan ten Doeschate.
Gloucestershire director of cricket John Bracewell told this website: “James has been a bit of a success story for us over the winter.
“He went to New Zealand to play premier club cricket in Auckland, but has been used by Otago, his old province, as one of their overseas players for the Twenty20 competition.
“Since he teamed up with them they have won all eight games and qualified for the final stages, which is great for them and extremely good for us in terms of the experience James has been getting bowling at the start and end of innings.
“Now, with the Sydney sides being knocked out of the Big Bash in Australia, Brett Lee has been signed up as an overseas player by Otago, so James is getting to practice alongside him.
“If you watch James’s bowling action you can tell that Brett is one of his heroes and a player he has either deliberately or accidentally modelled himself on.
“He is no doubt now finding out that his hero is not a bad bloke as well as being a top bowler.”
