Garton going great guns for Sussex - but they'll miss him as he grabs England chance

That’s because the 24-year-old left-arm paceman and improving batsman has been handed a place in the England squad for the upcoming one-day series against Sri Lanka.

England head coach Chris Silverwood said: “We have been monitoring the progress of George Garton for quite some time. He has been a significant part of Sussex’s bowling unit in white-ball cricket for an extended period.

“His ability to bowl quick with his point of difference being a left-armer certainly gives us options in this series, and he deserves his chance at this level.”

The three-match series runs from next Tuesday – June 29 – to the following Sunday, July 4, so Garton will miss some Sharks action, but he will eager to join back up with the county for the end of a Blast campaign that was going superbly until rain caused two abandonments at the end of last week.

Garton, who has played for Three Bridges and Horsham in the Sussex Cricket League and who was Sussex’s player and young player of the season last year, told us Blast success was important to the county.

“We’ve been there and thereabouts for the past few years We have a very clear and strong mindset and we back our ability a lot. I don’t see any reason why we can’t win it,” he said.

The Sharks, who won their first three south group games before the two washouts, will be calling on overseas stars Travis Head and Rashid Khan in addition to David Wiese during their campaign and Garton is excited to play alongside them.

He said of Khan: “You watch him make the batsmen look silly. When you’re in the nets you know you’ve come up against the best spinner in the world.

“Travis adds another really good batter. He’s versatile and can bat almost wherever he wants. We have a lot of international players, with the likes of CJ, Travis, David and Rashid. That’s so many leaders on the pitch that drive the energy and training to be at such a high standard. It’s hard not to create such a good environment where everyone is pushing each other.”

Younger stars like Garton and Delray Rawlins are just as important to the Sharks bid, as much for their athletic fielding as anything else, and Garton certainly proved his worth last year with some match-winning performances.

“I always expect high standards of myself and I always want to put in match winning performances,’’ he said. “It was nice to show that I could do it... it gives you confidence for this year.

“You’re training against a very good and a very quick seam attack which makes playing a bit easier.”

Sussex’s Blast head coach is James Kirtley and Garton is enjoying being part of the team under his guidance.

“He’s a great bloke to tap into with game plans and game knowledge,” said Garton. “James is numbers, precision and he’s very analytical with what he does. He’s brilliant with the younger seamers, knowing when to dip in and give them a bit of positive feedback and when to tell them to switch on.”

As for Garton, he knows what he needs to do – for England and Sussex.

“I just have to produce the best I can and make the most of my ability. I want to focus on putting my best performances in and being part of a winning side,” he said.