5 things about England’s newest Test centurion Dom Sibley

Dom Sibley hit his maiden Test hundred on Monday to put England in command against South Africa.

The 24-year-old hit an unbeaten 133 in the tourists’ second innings in the second Test at Newlands.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some facts you may not know about the promising batsman.

From Surrey to Warwickshire

Sibley hails from Epsom, Surrey, and represented his home county until 2017 when a lack of opportunities inspired a loan move to Warwickshire.

That move was made permanent in 2018 and has paid off since Sibley sought the advice of freelance batting coach Gary Palmer, who encouraged him to alter his stance and play straighter down the ground.

Record breaker

Sibley was just 18 years and 21 days and still a schoolboy when he became the youngest double centurion in the history of the County Championship.

His 242 against Yorkshire, achieved when he was still a pupil at Whitgift School, also made him the second-youngest Englishman to score a first-class double hundred and the thirteenth youngest double-centurion from any country.

His knock lasted a minute shy to 10 hours, took 536 balls and included 24 fours and two sixes.

International breakthrough

The 24-year-old made his England Test debut in November 2019 after being included in Chris Silverwood’s squad for the tour of New Zealand.

The call-up came after a summer that saw him become the leading run-scorer in Division One of the County Championship, scoring five centuries in the process.

He made an inauspicious start in his first Test in Mount Maunganui, scoring 22 and 12 as New Zealand won by an innings and 65 runs.

Scores of four, four and 29 followed before his superb knock at Newlands.

Calm under fire

Sibley’s strike-rate of 41.6 is considered slightly slow in first-class cricket, but the opener has been praised for his mental resilience.

Jim Troughton, Sibley’s coach at Warwickshire, has described his capacity to retain focus under pressure as “monumental”.

It’s in the blood

Sibley’s father, Mark, has also made a career out of the game.

Briefly acting as commercial director to the England & Wales Cricket Board, Mark Sibley then moved on to media roles that involve selling the broadcast rights to the sport while he also works as a coach.