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Benny Howell
Benny Howell
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Benny Alexander Cameron Howell (born 5 October 1988) is an English first-class cricketer. Howell is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm medium-fast for Nottinghamshire.

Key Information

He was born in Bordeaux, France, and was educated at The Oratory School in Oxfordshire.[1]

Hampshire County Cricket Club

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After spending several seasons in the Hampshire Second XI,[2] Howell made his first team debut for Hampshire against Leicestershire in a List A match in the Clydesdale Bank 40 in August 2010. His second List A match came in the return fixture held at Grace Road, Leicester.[3] Hampshire won the 2010 Friends Provident t20, though Howell played no part in the competition. This would normally have qualified Hampshire and runners-up Somerset a place in the 2010 Champions League Twenty20. However, the tournament clashed with the end of the English domestic season, making Hampshire unable to take part.[4] Instead, Hampshire were granted a place alongside Somerset in the 2011 Caribbean Twenty20. It was in this tournament that Howell made his Twenty20 debut in during Hampshire's group match against Canada. He played all of Hampshire's fixtures in the tournament, including the final against Trinidad and Tobago, which Hampshire lost.[5][6]

The 2011 English domestic season saw Howell become a regular feature in Hampshire ccc limited-overs squads, mostly in List A cricket,[3] though he also appeared in just under half of Hampshire's group matches in the 2011 Friends Provident t20.[5] He got off to a quiet start in Hampshire's first match of the 2011 Clydesdale Bank 40 against Surrey, but in their following fixture in the competition he struck his maiden half century, scoring 66 runs.[7] Two games later, he scored his maiden century against Surrey at The Oval, making a quickfire 122 from 113 balls. Howell ended the one day season as Hampshire's top run scorer.[8] Following this match he made his first-class debut against Lancashire in the County Championship at the Rose Bowl. Howell continued his good form from the previous limited overs fixture by scoring 71 in Hampshire County Cricket Club second-innings, after being forced to follow-on from their first-innings, in which Howell was dismissed for a three-ball duck by Kyle Hogg.[9] This was his only first-class appearance that season.[10] Hampshire's season was one characterised by struggle, following his good run of form, Howell's season levelled out. He made just one further half century in the Clydesdale Bank 40, against Northamptonshire,[11] while his handful of Twenty20 appearances bought him limited success.

Following the 2011 season, Howell announced in November that he was looking for opportunities away from Hampshire, expressing an interest in finding a county where he was assured of regular appearances in four-day cricket.[12] During the English winter he played cricket in Melbourne, Australia, close to where his parents live, for Essendon Cricket Club in the Victorian Premier League.[13] He chose to leave Hampshire in January 2012.[14]

He rejoined the club on a three-year contract for the 2023 English season. [1]

Gloucestershire County Cricket Club

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At the start of the 2012 season he joined Gloucestershire, and was called up to make his debut in a first-class match against Kent in the County Championship after making a double hundred for the 2's 2 days prior to his call up.[15] He has made a strong start in Gloucestershire's CB40 campaign with scores of 72(51) against The Netherlands and 45*(48) against Middlesex and 89(93) against Northants. In July 2012, he signed a two-year contract with Gloucestershire for his impressive performances during the trial period at the club.[16]

Howell signed a 2-year extension to his contract on 15 October 2013 having played in all Gloucestershire's County Championship matches and the majority of their limited over games.[17]

Howell has continued to be one of the main players and Gloucestershire with his pivotal role as the club's main allrounder. Howell got married in early July 2015 and has been is sublime form for Gloucestershire since tying the knot. He was the first player ever for Gloucestershire to have a double wicket maiden in a t20 match. He managed this feat against his former club Hampshire County Cricket Club in which he also scored the winning runs and was man of the match. Hampshire have tried to re sign Howell but at the end of July he extended his contract with Gloucestershire for another 2 years. Howell also made his maiden first-class hundred against Leicestershire at Cheltenham after tying the knot.

On 6 September 2015 Howell helped his side Beat Yorkshire Vikings in the semi-final of the Royal London One Day Cup with a strong bowling performance. (3-37) . Gloucestershire won the Royal One Day Cup Final beating a strong surrey side by 7 runs. This was one of the closest finals in the competition's history

In 2016 Benny Howell was the leading wicket taker in the Natwest T20 Blast. He was rewarded by signing a new 3-year contract with Gloucestershire . His consistent performances in T20 has attracted the eyes of some big T20 competitions. In October 2018, he was named in the squad for the Rangpur Riders team, following the draft for the 2018–19 Bangladesh Premier League.[18]

In 2019 he signed a three-year contract extension with Gloucestershire.

Such is his skill that he claims to have 50 different varieties of slower balls. He has developed them through watching baseball pitchers and practises them in his back garden with his dog.[19]

Howell has spoken of his experience of ADHD[20] and how medication has helped him to live with the condition, He said that at school "I was always known as the ‘weird kid’....I was constantly in trouble. Exploring where I shouldn't explore, making noise in class, running down the corridor...." He says that sport was an escape.[21]

Franchise cricket

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During the 2019 Bangladesh Premier League Howell impressed with his miserly bowling displays, with his subtle varieties very much suited to the slower Bangladeshi wickets. In his 8 matches he picked up 6 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 5.64. His contributions were not limited to the ball with a vital 53* off 28 (featuring 5 sixes) showing his prowess with the bat. This was made no less significant by the fact that the opposition bowling attack featured three greats of the format in Thisara Perera, Wahab Riaz and Shahid Afridi. So good were his performances that AB de Villiers encouraged him to join the IPL auction in 2020.[22] However, he went unsold. He was selected again for the Bangladesh Premier League, this time by the Chattogram Challengers in the 2022 season.[23]

Howell was selected for Birmingham Phoenix for the inaugural season of The Hundred, where he impressed as his side made the final. Taking eleven wickets at an average of 18.54, he was named in a number of Teams of the Tournament.[24] He was retained by the Phoenix for the 2022 season[25] and 2023 season.[26]

In February 2022, he was bought by the Punjab Kings in the auction for the 2022 Indian Premier League tournament.[27] In the same month, he joined Pakistani Super League side Peshawar Zalmi for the PSL Playoffs.[28]

Personal life

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Benny's brother Nick Howell is a professional real tennis player, who won the real tennis French Open in 2023.

References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia
from Grokipedia
Benny Howell is an English professional renowned for his all-round contributions in limited-overs formats, particularly as a right-arm medium-fast bowler specializing in slower-ball variations and a lower-order power-hitter. Born on 5 October 1988 in , , Howell began his professional career with , making his List A debut in August 2010 and first-class debut on 24 May 2011. He transitioned to in 2012, where he established himself as a key white-ball performer, amassing 210 wickets at an average of 19.30 across 163 matches and developing over 50 slower-ball variations inspired by pitching techniques. In 2016, he topped the bowling charts with 24 wickets, showcasing his cutters, knuckleballs, and slower deliveries. Howell's career has spanned multiple counties and international T20 leagues; after stints with and a return to , he signed a two-year T20-only contract with Nottinghamshire's Outlaws in November 2025, bringing his experience to as a veteran tasked with bolstering their short-format attack. He has also featured in franchise competitions worldwide, debuting in the in 2016 before competing in the (CPL), (ILT20), (LPL), and (PSL). In The Hundred, Howell has been a standout for , claiming 11 wickets at an average of 18.54 in the 2021 edition and earning a reputation as a cult hero for his versatility in short-form . Despite limited first-class appearances (86 matches with 96 wickets at an average of 33.56), Howell's batting prowess shines in white-ball , with List A and T20 averages of 35 and 23, respectively, often providing late-innings acceleration. His uncapped status led to a surprise IPL acquisition by for INR 40 lakhs in the 2022 auction, though he did not feature in matches; he re-entered the auction pool in subsequent years without securing another deal. At 37, Howell remains a savvy operator in T20 , valued for his tactical acumen and ability to disrupt batting line-ups with deceptive pace variations.

Early life and education

Birth and family background

Benny Alexander Cameron Howell was born on 5 October 1988 in , , to a British-Australian family. His father, Jonathan Howell, is a professional player—one of the few in the world—and served as the head professional at in , which provided young Benny with early exposure to elite sports facilities and a competitive mindset. Howell's dual British and Australian citizenship, stemming from his English father and Australian mother, has offered him flexibility in pursuing international cricketing opportunities. His brother, Nick Howell, is also a professional player, continuing the family's tradition in this niche racket sport.

Schooling and youth cricket

Howell was educated at , a co-educational independent school in Woodcote, , where he attended from his early teenage years. During his time there, he balanced academic pursuits with a strong involvement in sports, particularly , serving as an opening batsman for the school's first XI alongside future professional Dan Housego. Howell joined the Academy in the mid-2000s during his final school years, building on his family's sporting heritage and encouraging his early interest in the game. As an academy prospect, he debuted for the Second XI in 2005 at age 16, impressing with a score of 66 in one early appearance as an opener. Howell's youth performances earned him international recognition when, in 2006, he was selected as part of a Hampshire Academy trio for the England Under-17s one-day series against at . This exposure to competitive youth matches, including minor county and club fixtures, honed his skills as a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium-pace bowler before his senior opportunities. These early steps culminated in a professional contract with shortly after school, solidifying his path in domestic .

Domestic career

Hampshire County Cricket Club

Benny Howell signed as a professional with in 2010, having progressed through their youth academy and Second XI setup. He made his List A debut for the club on 17 August 2010 against at in the Clydesdale Bank 40, where the 21-year-old took one while opening the batting. Howell's first-class debut followed on 24 May 2011 against at the Rose Bowl, , in the Division One; opening the , he remained not out on 68 in Hampshire's second during a match they lost by 10 wickets. Across his initial stint with Hampshire from 2010 to 2011, Howell featured in limited senior matches, totaling 13 List A appearances where he batted at an average of 44 with a strike rate of 92—highlighted by a maiden century of 122 off 113 balls against in May 2011—though he bowled sparingly. In T20 , he played 13 games that year, scoring 123 runs and claiming three wickets with best figures of 2-12 against in the Caribbean Twenty20. Despite these gritty contributions, including his debut first-class half-century, Howell was released by at the end of the 2011 season amid stiff competition for places and perceived inconsistencies in his allround output. Howell returned to in 2023 on a three-year white-ball contract after spending a decade at . During this second stint through 2025, he primarily featured in the Vitality Blast, playing 28 matches across the three seasons and contributing 547 runs at a over 130 alongside 35 wickets at an average of around 25. Key performances included an unbeaten 62 off 27 balls in a 2024 Blast chase against and several economical death-over spells. He departed in November 2025 to join .

Gloucestershire County Cricket Club

Benny Howell joined at the start of the 2012 season on a two-year contract after departing , marking the beginning of his longest domestic stint. Over the next decade, he extended his deal multiple times, including a three-year extension in 2019 that kept him at the club until the end of 2022, allowing him to develop into a pivotal white-ball . During this period, Howell featured in 119 matches for , establishing himself as a lower-order aggressor and cunning bowler known for his extensive of slower variations, often cited as exceeding 50 different types. Howell's emergence as a T20 specialist was evident in his career-high statistics during his Gloucestershire tenure, where he scored over 1,700 runs at an average of approximately 23 and a exceeding 130, including five half-centuries and several match-winning cameos such as his unbeaten 62 off 34 balls in a chase. With the ball, he claimed around 130 wickets at an economy rate under 7.5, building a reputation for mystery spin-like deliveries in the death overs. In from 2012 to 2019, he contributed significantly with bat and ball, averaging over 35 with the bat and maintaining an economy below 5.3. His peak performances came between 2016 and 2022, highlighted by leading the 2016 T20 Blast wicket charts with 24 scalps at an economy of 7.22, including economical spells that restricted opponents in tight games. In 2018, he topped 's T20 wicket tally with 17 dismissals, while 2021 saw him take 15 wickets alongside 156 runs at a of 150. Standout individual efforts included his career-best T20 figures of 5-18 against in 2019 at , dismantling the batting lineup, and a List A hat-trick in the 2019 Royal London One-Day Cup versus , where he removed three middle-order batsmen in consecutive deliveries to seal a victory. These contributions helped reach multiple knockout stages in white-ball competitions. Howell departed at the end of the 2022 season after 11 years of consistent service, having rejected a new contract to pursue opportunities elsewhere, leaving behind a legacy as the club's go-to white-ball performer with over 100 T20 appearances. His release paved the way for a return to , where he continued his T20 prowess.

On 7 November 2025, Benny Howell signed a two-year T20-only contract with Outlaws, joining the club at the age of 37 ahead of the 2026 Vitality Blast season. This move marks his latest domestic step, focusing exclusively on white-ball cricket without commitments to the or One-Day Cup. Howell arrives as a veteran tasked with bolstering the Outlaws' white-ball attack, particularly by filling the leadership and tactical void left by the retirement of Steven Mullaney, a two-time Blast winner. His reputation for cunning medium-pace variations, honed through over 250 T20 appearances, positions him to provide control in the middle overs and support the team's finishing capabilities with his middle-order batting. Bringing white-ball expertise from his time at , Howell is expected to integrate into the setup by bridging experienced players and emerging talents, potentially offering mentorship to younger squad members during the Blast campaign. Head coach Peter Moores described Howell as "the perfect fit" for the rebuilding side, which has not advanced beyond the group stages in the past two seasons, emphasizing his potential impact both on and off the field to drive progress toward quarter-final qualification and a trophy challenge by 2027. Howell himself expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity, stating, "It's a real honour to sign for Notts Outlaws... I'm constantly looking to improve my game and I believe this is the perfect environment to do that," highlighting his motivation to evolve within a historic club environment. Projections for Howell's contributions in 2026 draw from his recent form, where he maintained a strike rate of 124.6 with the bat and an economy of 8.16 in T20 matches during 2025, suggesting he could deliver around 15-20 wickets and 200-300 runs across the Blast group stage to aid the Outlaws' competitiveness. Early previews position him as a key tactical asset in a refreshed lineup aiming to leverage his 255 career T20 wickets at an average of 23.12 for greater depth in the bowling unit.

Franchise cricket

Indian Premier League

Benny Howell was acquired by the as an uncapped player during the IPL 2022 mega auction for his base price of INR 40 lakh (approximately £38,000), marking his entry into the . The signing surprised many observers, given Howell's primary experience in English domestic and T20 leagues abroad, where he had established himself as a versatile with unorthodox bowling variations inspired by pitching techniques. Despite being part of the squad for the 2022 season, Howell did not feature in any of the team's 14 league matches or the playoffs. His anticipated role centered on death-over bowling to leverage his slower cutters and knuckleballs against aggressive IPL batsmen, alongside lower-order contributions with the bat, but intense competition in the squad—featuring established overseas players like and —limited his opportunities. Howell remained in the team's training camp throughout the season in and , participating in practice sessions and team activities, which provided exposure to high-pressure IPL environments. Although Howell recorded no on-field statistics in the IPL—zero matches, runs, or wickets—his time with garnered attention for his off-field presence, including posts reflecting on the experience after the season concluded without his debut. He was not retained by the franchise ahead of the 2023 IPL auction and has not been picked in subsequent auctions, including entering the pool again post-2022. Nonetheless, the IPL stint enhanced his profile as a "mystery bowler" capable of adapting to elite T20 conditions, influencing subsequent opportunities in other global leagues.

Other T20 leagues

Howell's entry into international T20 franchise cricket began with the (BPL) in 2016, where he played for multiple teams including the Khulna Titans, , Sylhet Strikers, and Chattogram Challengers across four seasons. In 37 matches, he contributed 609 runs at a of 141.62, highlighted by a highest score of 62* and three half-centuries, while taking 28 wickets with his variations. His BPL experience, building on his IPL stint, showcased his adaptability as an in subcontinental conditions. In the (CPL), Howell represented the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in 2023, playing 4 matches where he claimed 2 wickets, including figures of 2/31, utilizing his slower balls and cutters effectively on pitches. His brief but impactful role emphasized his utility in death overs. Howell gained Australian exposure through the (BBL) with the in the 2020/21 season, appearing in 2 matches as a , where he economically but focused on learning pace-friendly conditions leveraging his all-round skills. In the (PSL), he joined for the 2021/22 playoffs, playing 1 match and scoring 2 not out, providing depth to their squad. Further broadening his global footprint, Howell competed in the (LPL) for the Stars in 2022, featuring in 9 matches with 77 runs at a of 187.80, including a brisk 43, and taking 7 wickets with economical spells. In the (ILT20), he played 7 matches for the in 2023, contributing as a finisher and variation bowler. Domestically in , Howell has been a key figure for Birmingham Phoenix in The Hundred since its 2021 inception, amassing 49 matches with 327 runs and 49 wickets as of 2025, including standout performances like 3/18 in a 2023 win, solidifying his role as a versatile in the 100-ball format. In 2025, Howell also participated in the (NCL) T10 in the United States for the New York Lions, playing several matches in October, including 20 runs and 0/27 against the Houston Generals on 9 October. Overall, these engagements across diverse leagues have seen Howell play over 100 franchise T20 matches, honing his adaptability to varying pitches and formats as an all-round utility player.

Personal life

ADHD diagnosis and innovations

Benny Howell was diagnosed with (ADHD) as a , which led to him being labeled the "weird kid" at due to his and difficulty fitting in. He frequently found himself in trouble for disruptive behaviors, such as making noise and breaking rules, both in the and during early sports activities. These childhood experiences highlighted the challenges of managing ADHD symptoms in structured environments, though Howell later reflected that they also fostered his competitive nature on the . As an adult, Howell's ADHD contributed to significant professional struggles early in his career, particularly during his time at , where impulsivity and poor time-keeping drew criticism from teammates and coaches. He experienced motivational slumps and mental confusion, leading him to consider quitting altogether amid the mounting pressure. In a 2020 interview with the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA), Howell detailed these battles, noting how the assumption that one "grows out" of ADHD proved untrue and exacerbated his challenges. A pivotal shift occurred after moving to in 2012, where he received confirmation of his ADHD and began managing it through , trials, and , which he adopted more fully in 2018. Despite these hurdles, Howell has harnessed ADHD's positive traits, particularly , to drive innovations in his white-ball playing style. This intense concentration has enabled him to develop over 50 bowling variations, including slower balls, knuckleballs, and curveballs inspired by , enhancing his creativity and effectiveness in T20 . By channeling , he reinvented himself as a versatile , turning potential weaknesses into tactical advantages. In recent reflections from 2023 and interviews, Howell has described ADHD as a "superpower" that fuels his ingenuity, while also advocating for greater awareness in through informal mentoring of fellow players.

Family and heritage

Benny Howell shares a close adult relationship with his brother Nick Howell, a professional player based in , who achieved significant success by winning the in 2023. Their mutual involvement in high-level racket and ball sports has fostered ongoing influences, with Nick's accomplishments in providing inspiration for Benny's adaptability in professional . Howell's father, Jonathan Howell, a former professional and world number four, instilled a strong in his son through exposure to the demanding discipline of the sport, an influence that persists beyond Jonathan's active playing career. This foundation from the world has contributed to Benny's resilience and dedication in navigating the challenges of county and franchise . Born in , , to an English father and Australian mother, Howell embodies a multicultural heritage that has profoundly shaped his worldview. Holding both Australian and British passports, he benefits from eased international , enabling seamless participation in global T20 leagues and fostering a versatile, borderless approach to his cricket career. As of 2025, Howell married in July 2015 and has a son born in 2018; further details about his spouse and children remain private, though his family has offered steadfast support amid major career shifts, including transitions between , , and .

References

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