Tom Abell

Tom Abell
Born	(1994-03-05) March 5, 1994 Taunton, England
Occupation	Cricketer
Known for	Captain of Somerset County Cricket Club (2017–2023)

Thomas Benjamin Abell (born 5 March 1994) is an English first-class cricket player representing Somerset County Cricket Club.

A right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pacer, Abell distinguished himself at Taunton School by amassing seven centuries during 2012, achieving an impressive average of 193. He earned the title of 2013 Young Wisden Schools Cricketer of the Year. Abell made his first-class debut for Somerset in August 2014 against Warwickshire, scoring 95 runs in his initial innings. He was named captain of Somerset’s County Championship squad for the 2017 season.

Early life and career

Born in Taunton, Abell attended the independent Taunton School. He joined the school's 1st XI cricket team at 14, becoming the youngest player to surpass 1,000 runs by age 16. By the time he left, he had accumulated a record total of 3,630 runs, leading the first team with 1,156 runs in 2012 at an average of 193, including seven centuries and frequent scores above fifty. Additionally, he took 19 wickets at an average of 15. His outstanding achievements led to receiving the 2013 Young Wisden Schools Cricketer of the Year award as well as the Wetherell Award for best all-rounder in school cricket during 2012. Beyond cricket, Abell captained Taunton School’s hockey team through an undefeated season and competed in rugby, rugby sevens, and indoor hockey, reaching national semi-finals. These accomplishments earned him a nomination for "Male Pupil of the Year" at the Aviva/Telegraph School Sport Matters Awards, where he was runner-up to Olympic diver Tom Daley. He also participated in trials for the England men's national hockey team under-16 squad.

Abell represented Somerset extensively across youth levels from Under-14 to Under-19. At age 15 in 2009, he debuted in senior club cricket for Taunton, scoring an unbeaten 22. When he was 17, he posted a score of 150 during a high-scoring encounter against Warminster. In 2013, he amassed 768 runs for Taunton with an average of 76.80 and followed that with 770 runs in 2014 at an enhanced average of 128.33, including a highest score of 185 not out, contributing significantly to the club’s promotion. He made his debut for Somerset Second XI in 2010 and was honored as Second XI player of the year in 2013 after compiling 1,234 runs at an average of 40.13 with four centuries and five half-centuries.

Following his time at Taunton School, Abell enrolled at the University of Exeter, pursuing a Flexible Combined Honours degree comprising Sports Science and French. During his studies, he captained the university’s men's first cricket team to reach the finals of the BUCS outdoor championships and secured victory in the indoor league.

First-team breakthrough

Abell’s first-class debut for Somerset occurred in August 2014 against Warwickshire when he was called up late as a replacement for injured overseas player Alviro Petersen. He scored an impressive 95 runs on debut, narrowly missing becoming the first Somerset-born cricketer since Harold Gimblett in 1935 to register a century on County Championship debut. Maintaining his position throughout that season, he added two more half-centuries—including scores of 50 against Middlesex and 75 versus Yorkshire—finishing with a total of 292 runs at an average of 41. At season’s conclusion, Abell was among four Somerset players awarded new one-year contracts.

After establishing himself at number four in the batting order, Abell spent the entire 2015 season partnering Marcus Trescothick as an opening batsman. Despite a sluggish start compounded by university commitments limiting his early appearances, he recorded his first half-century that season against Yorkshire and claimed his maiden first-class wicket during that same match. In June 2015, Abell signed a four-year contract extension with Somerset. Notably, he carried his bat for an unbeaten score of 76 against Nottinghamshire and played a crucial half-century role during Somerset’s successful fourth-innings chase of 401—the second-highest target chased in county history. He followed this with another half-century against Hampshire that contributed to a nine-wicket victory.

Abell made his List A debut on July 29, 2015, facing Durham and scoring 23 runs in a losing effort. He achieved his first List A half-century with a score of 80 against Yorkshire while aiding Somerset to chase down a target of 178. Despite these efforts, Somerset were eliminated at the group stage of the Royal London One-Day Cup that year; Abell accumulated a total of 202 runs at an average of 33 throughout the tournament. On September 10, 2015, he recorded his maiden first-class century against Hampshire by scoring 131 runs during a significant partnership worth 272 runs with Trescothick. By season’s end, Abell received the LV= Breakthrough Player Award for his County Championship contributions after compiling a total of 726 runs at an average of 36—including one century and five half-centuries.

During the winter off-season spanning late 2015 to early 2016, Abell played grade cricket for Fremantle District Cricket Club in Western Australia where he earned two Kookaburra Player of the Round accolades. Across all formats during this stint, he scored a cumulative total of 641 runs averaging 40 and took 21 wickets at an average cost of just18 runs each.

In the subsequent season (2016), Abell continued opening alongside Trescothick under new captain Chris Rogers—a former Australian Test opener recruited to bat at number three. Following Somerset’s disappointing performance in the NatWest t20 Blast tournament that year, Abell made his Twenty20 debut on July29 against Hampshire batting at number five; he scored seven runs before being dismissed.

Somerset captaincy

Abell was named captain of Somerset County Cricket Club on 21 December 2016, taking charge for the 2017 campaign. He stepped down from this leadership role in December 2023.

T20 franchise career

In December 2021, Abell joined the Karachi Kings roster for the 2022 Pakistan Super League. Subsequently, in April 2022, he was drafted by the Birmingham Phoenix to compete in the 2022 edition of The Hundred.

International career

Abell received a call-up to England's squads for both One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) matches against Bangladesh in February 2023. However, he was later withdrawn from the series due to a side muscle injury.