Benny Howell

A product of Hampshire club, Benny Alexander Cameron Howell is a right-handed batsman who also bowls decent right-arm medium-fast.

Born in Bordeaux, France, Howell made his first-team debut for Hampshire against Leicestershire in a List-A game in 2010. He picked up a solitary wicket in the match but was relatively unimpressive throughout the course of the match.

The following season, he became a regular member in the playing XI for Hampshire. In a game against Surrey in the 2011 Clydesdale Bank 40, Howell registered his maiden ton, scoring 122 from just 113 deliveries. He also ended the One-Day season as Hampshire’s top run-getter.

Post the 2011 domestic campaign, Howell was looking for regular opportunities in the 4-day cricket and therefore, decided to leave Hampshire. 

Prior to the 2012 domestic season, Howell signed a deal with Gloucestershire and played his first match against Kent.

The Bordeaux-born was influenced by Baseball and this influence was clearly visible in his bowling, especially in the shortest format of the game. He concentrated on shifting pace and claimed that he had 50 different variants of slower balls under his armoury.

The allrounder took 24 wickets in the 2016 Natwest Blast and was thus drafted by Khulna Titans for the 2017 edition of the Bangladesh Premier League. 

He again finished as the top wicket-taker for Gloucestershire in the 2018 T20 competition with 17 wickets. 

Howell was roped in by Birmingham Phoenix ahead of the 2021 inaugural season of the Hundreds. His vast experience of playing cricket for so long will benefit his side in the long run. The Phoenixes have managed to rope in a quality player who’ll guide the youngsters and will make them a better player.

(As of April 2021)