Steven Mullaney

A product of Lancashire Academy, Steven Mullaney was a part of England Under-19 squad for the tour of Sri Lanka and India and also featured in the national U-19 team during the 2006 edition of Youth World Cup. He gained a contract with Lancashire in 2006 but lack of opportunities at the county forced him to look elsewhere.

Having joined Nottinghamshire in 2010, Mullaney made an immediate impression, making an exact hundred on his county debut against Hampshire. In time to come, he would turn out into an useful asset, a lower middle-order batsman who could also bowl right-arm medium-fast. In a career that has lasted eight years with Nottinghamshire, Mullaney has amassed close to 10,000 runs across formats and has scalped around 250 wickets - making him a priceless asset, one that the county recognised by offering him the captaincy - post the retirement of talisman wicket-keeper batsman, Chris Read.

Having started as a lower middle-order batsman, Mullaney quickly adapted to the conditions at Trent Bridge and was soon promoted as the county's opening batsman, after the expiry of the contract with Australia's Ed Cowan, ahead of the 2013 Ashes. With an established spot, he soon became the fulcrum of Nottinghamshire's batting line-up, with his bowling skills coming handy during the List A as well as Twenty20 tournaments.

Having now become a regular feature in the Nottinghamshire first eleven, Mullaney thrived at Trent Bridge and completed 1000 runs in the 2016 calendar year. 2017 turned out to be a blockbuster season for Nottinghamshire and Mullaney played a central role in their success. First, they achieved promotion from the second division to first in the Championships and then followed it up with two title triumphs - the 50-over Royal London and the 20-over Natwest T20 Blast.