Mason Crane said he was "buzzing" to be back in the England fold, adding that his ambitions go beyond being a "highlights reel" leg-spinner as he looks to make the most of his second bite at international cricket.
Crane was capped three times as a 20-year-old, nine years ago, the last of which was his Test debut in the final match of England's 2017/18 Ashes tour in Sydney. He'd take a single wicket as the tourists signed off a 4-0 series drubbing with another defeat.
Captivate This content is provided by Captivate, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use the buttons below to amend your preferences to enable Captivate cookies or to allow those cookies just once. You can change your settings at any time via the Privacy Options. Unfortunately we have been unable to verify if you have consented to Captivate cookies. To view this content you can use the button below to allow Captivate cookies for this session only.
Speaking to the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast, Crane admitted that he was "resigned to the fact it may not come again" as a near decade passed without further recognition, until getting the call for England's upcoming ODI tri-series in Pakistan.
- Ollie Pope, Shoaib Bashir handed new England contracts
- Sky Sports to show England's ODI tri-series in Pakistan
- Get the latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract
- Listen to latest episode of the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast
"I didn't really expect it, to be honest," Crane said. "It was a bit out of the blue. But it's really cool and I'm buzzing.
"I think there was a period a few years ago where I was sort of resigned to the fact it may not come again, where I maybe put a bit too much pressure on myself and wasn't particularly enjoying it.
"But the last couple of years I feel like I've I sort of got that spark back and the ambition that comes with it."
Following his initial England breakthrough in 2017, injuries ruined Crane's 2018 season and he struggled to nail down a regular spot for his county Hampshire, until a 2024 move to Glamorgan prompted a change in fortunes.
There, he thrived under the coaching of Richard Dawson, who has just left to join England's red-ball staff as assistant to the newly-appointed Stephen Fleming.
"Daws is a brilliant coach. He's been absolutely amazing for us," Crane said. "He has very high standards; he pushes you to become the best version of yourself, and we all sort of thrived off that.
"From a Glamorgan point of view, we'd obviously rather have kept him. But when you have someone like Daws as your coach, if we're if we're being brutally honest, I think you know at some point that he's going to go on to international cricket.
"He's such a brilliant manager of people. He'll be amazing in any role he does.
"It's amazing for England. And like I said, I'm sure one day he will be in a position to take over an international side. He's that kind of calibre of coach."
Crane on batting form - 'My confidence just grew and grew'
Crane's return to the England fold has as much to do with his hugely-improved form with the bat, as much as his performances with the ball.
Crane struck a maiden first-class century, swiftly following with a second, as Glamorgan finished safely in sixth place upon their first County Championship season in Division One since 2005.
"I've always believed I underperformed a bit with the bat," Crane said. "When I moved to Glamorgan and started playing a lot more regularly, I kind of realised I had a few more shots.
"My confidence just grew and grew. And then this year, to get a few big scores has been amazing.
"Ironically, that's helped my bowling because I'm now bowling in matches where I probably wouldn't be playing in to start with."
Crane claimed 34 wickets across 14 County Championship appearances in 2026, and 15 in 10 Vitality Blast outings. He also played three times for London Spirit in The Hundred, taking two wickets.
A couple of his dismissals went viral on social media, particularly those of Yorkshire batters George Hill and James Wharton as part of an eight-wicket match haul back in April, but Crane doesn't want to just be Insta-famous.
"I don't want to just be a highlights reel bowler, every now and then bowl a really good ball and just live off that," he added.
"I pride myself on trying to play to the situations really, trying to work out how I'm going to get the most out of a wicket and get a particular guy out.
"I've also given myself a bit more freedom, I guess, with the ball now. I try and bowl more variations, but I'm also better at bowling them now.
"It's about sort of adding as many strings to your bow. It's really important."
England's ODI tri-series in Pakistan schedule
All games live on Sky Sports and NOW, all times UK and Ireland; all times subject to change
- October 18 (9am) - Pakistan vs Sri Lanka (Rawalpindi)
- October 20 (9am) - Pakistan vs England (Rawalpindi)
- October 22 (9am) - Sri Lanka vs England (Rawalpindi)
- October 25 (8am) - Pakistan vs England (Lahore)
- October 27 (8am) - Pakistan vs Sri Lanka (Lahore)
- October 29 (8am) - Sri Lanka vs England (Lahore)
- October 31 (8am) - Final (Lahore)
Watch England's ODI tri-series in Pakistan live on Sky Sports between October 18 and 31. Not got Sky? Get the latest Sky Sports deals or stream with no contract