Who is Charlie Cassell? 5 interesting facts about Scotland pacer who registered the best bowling figures on ODI debut
Charlie Cassell made his ODI debut against Oman in an ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 match on Monday, July 22. Dundee's Forthill ground played host to the 50-over match, where Cassell bowled a dream spell on debut.
The right-arm fast bowler returned with figures of 7/21 to set a record for the best bowling figures by a debutant in ODI cricket history. He broke Kagiso Rabada's record. The South African speedster returned with figures of 6/16 on debut against Bangladesh in 2015.
Cassell dismissed Oman's Pratik Athavale, Zeeshan Maqsood, Ayaan Khan, Khalid Kail, Shoaib Khan, Mehran Khan, and Bilal Khan in his spell of 5.4 overs. Here are five interesting things to know about Scotland's newest star:
#1 Charlie Cassell was not in the original Scotland squad for ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2
It may surprise a few fans now, but Cassell was not picked in the original Scotland squad for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup League 2 series. Fast bowler Chris Sole was the original choice. Last week, Sole made himself unavailable for the series due to personal reasons.
The selectors drafted in Cassell as a replacement. The decision proved to be a masterstroke as the debutant's spell guided Scotland to an eight-wicket win against Oman.
#2 Charlie Cassell is in a relationship with Mia Jane Elias
Cassell started his international career on Monday, and his partner Mia Jane Elias will be extremely proud. The fast bowler regularly shares photos with his partner on Instagram.
Not much is known about Mia, though. She has a private Instagram account, with only 277 people following her on the platform. Cassell crossed the 1,000 followers mark on Instagram after his epic spell on debut.
#3 Charlie Cassell came back from a horrific knee injury
Fast bowlers have to work hard to maintain their fitness levels. Cassell has just started his international career, but he already fought a long battle with a knee injury to make his ODI debut.
While giving his maiden ODI cap to Cassell, Scotland captain Richie Berrington said before the game:
"You've come back from a huge setback, with that massive injury you had, put you out for a year and a bit."
#4 Charlie Cassell has 2 brothers
During the same speech, Berrington said that about Cassell's parents, partner Mia, and two brothers would be proud of his journey. Berrington did not mention the names of Cassell's brothers during the speech.
Looking at his Instagram feed, Charlie shared a family photo on April 14, 2022. He also tagged one of his brothers, whose name is Freddie.
#5 Cassell has played club cricket in Australia
During his younger days, Cassell traveled to Australia and played for the Sydney University Cricket Club. It looks like Cassell traveled Down Under for studies and also started playing cricket for his university.
His university even praised him on Instagram after he took a seven-wicket haul on ODI debut for Scotland. It will be interesting to see if Cassell can continue in the same vein in international cricket.