From Test match to wedding - Stone's Pakistan dash

Olly Stone is conscionable complete 2 weeks distant from getting married.

For nan accelerated bowler and his fiance Jess, nan large time is Saturday, 12 October successful Norfolk. The complication is that connected Friday, 11 October, Stone could beryllium 5,000 miles distant trying to return England to triumph successful nan first Test successful Pakistan.

"It’s a spot manic, but a bully problem to have," Stone tells BBC Sport.

Not only is Stone hopping continents successful bid to opportunity "I do", he is past readying to beryllium backmost successful Multan for nan 2nd Test starting nan pursuing Tuesday.

The communicative originates successful August 2023, erstwhile Stone projected connected a formation successful Norfolk aft he and Jess had been retired for dinner.

The Nottinghamshire man was enduring different injury-hit season. Two hamstring problems followed years of dealing pinch 4 accent fractures successful his back, which had antecedently resulted successful 2 screws being inserted into his spine successful 2021.

By nan clip Stone presented Jess pinch a ring, nan past of his past 3 Test caps was much than 2 years ago. The thought of a three-Test circuit of Pakistan conscionable complete a twelvemonth later seemed a agelong measurement off.

"We booked nan wedding connected nan ground of maine only playing for Notts astatine nan time," says nan 30-year-old.

"It wasn’t for illustration I person ever put my life connected hold, but successful nan past I’ve ever looked astatine early bid and not done stuff. Then you get injured, aliases not selected, and you deliberation you should person conscionable done what you wanted to do."

At nan extremity of past summer, Stone said to England managing head Rob Key, who told him to put a tally of games together successful bid to get backmost successful nan world frame.

During nan winter, Stone played franchise cricket successful Australia, South Africa, nan United Arab Emirates and Pakistan. The metallic successful his backmost was doing its occupation and his assemblage benefitting from regular pilates sessions.

After England gave James Anderson a pat connected nan shoulder, Key publically mentioned Stone arsenic a early personnel of nan attack. The callback came to play successful 2 Tests against Sri Lanka and nan wedding was already little than 2 months away.

"When I was backmost successful nan England squad, Jess and I were wondering what we should do if I sewage picked for Pakistan," says Stone.

"Jess said she was happy to move nan wedding and I was adamant connected keeping it wherever it was if possible. For what she has fixed up and sacrificed for me, I thought nan slightest I could do was to effort to make it work.

"The squad was being picked and Rob said 'I perceive you’re getting married'. I met pinch him and Brendon McCullum to person a fewer discussions connected really to fig it out. We worked retired I could beryllium disposable for nan first Test, spell location to get married, past beryllium backmost successful clip for nan second."

The scheme is only imaginable because of a quirk of nan schedule – a uncommon Monday commencement for nan first Test intends it will beryllium done earlier nan weekend. Stone will astir apt beryllium helped by nan rarity of England Tests lasting 5 days.

There is besides plentifulness of screen successful nan squad, meaning Stone mightiness not beryllium selected for either of nan first 2 Tests. He is 1 of six master accelerated bowlers, including Chris Woakes, who should person been a guest.

Still, location remains nan imaginable of Stone being connected nan section astatine nan extremity of nan 5th time of a Test, past skipping continents to get joined 24 hours later.

"If it goes to nan past shot connected time five, I won’t beryllium hanging around," he says. "I’m judge location mightiness beryllium a fewer aches nan adjacent day, but it will beryllium worthy it. I’ve been looking guardant to it ever since I proposed."

The mini matter of a stag do was dealt pinch successful Leeds successful March, but a honeymoon is yet to beryllium planned.

Fitting 1 successful could beryllium tricky, arsenic Stone seems apt to beryllium heading to New Zealand for 3 Tests successful December and is an extracurricular changeable for nan white-ball circuit of India and nan Champions Trophy successful nan caller year.

It’s a opposition from nan commencement of this season, erstwhile Stone put himself connected nan books of Great Witchingham Cricket Club adjacent Norwich, alongside erstwhile England spinner Monty Panesar.

"I had a dodgy knee and I needed to get immoderate overs in," he explains. "It started retired arsenic an April Fools that they wanted to get maine signed and I said, 'actually, if I request to play would you person me?'

"During Covid they sorted maine a spot to bowl, truthful I felt for illustration I owed them a spot successful return. I haven’t managed to play for them yet, but I’ll beryllium location for nan foreseeable."

When Stone says he feels he "owes a batch to Norfolk cricket" and "still keeps an oculus connected each nan scores", it says plentifulness astir a man who knows location is simply a life beyond master sport.

He has spent clip pinch BBC Sport commentating connected The Hundred and astatine BBC Radio Norfolk, trying his manus astatine shot reporting – "not arsenic easy arsenic you mightiness think" – and besides dabbled successful a business buying and trading willow for cricket bat makers – "it’s connected nan back-burner for nan minute".

For now, a Test bid successful Pakistan and a wedding is much than capable to deliberation about.