Email 'hoax' nearly ended Falconer's Hundred hopes
How concerns over phishing online, rather than fishing outside off stump, nearly scuppered Caleb Falconer's hopes of a contract in The Hundred.
Middlesex player Caleb Falconer's hopes of joining The Hundred were nearly derailed by a phishing email hoax. The 19-year-old, who had just returned from the Under-19 World Cup in Zimbabwe and Namibia, decided to call his father, Stuart, a cricket coach, to voice his interest in the auction. Stuart, acting as an unofficial representative, had to prove his identity to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to confirm he was indeed Caleb's father.
After several telephone calls and emails, Falconer's father successfully bypassed the security check, allowing Caleb to be added to the auction list. The teenager was eventually picked by Southern Brave for £55,000, marking a significant achievement in his budding cricket career. Despite not yet making an appearance for Brave this summer, Falconer has been learning from his teammates and aiming to emulate their skills.
Born in South Africa, Falconer has taken to the game with a powerful batting style reminiscent of cricketer AB de Villiers. His ultimate goal is to represent England in all three formats of the game, with the hope that his success in The Hundred will open doors to further franchise cricket opportunities.
Written by urgent.news from BBC Sport's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
