A trophy-winning quick desperate to have a blast at Headingley
Matt Milnes headed back North from Kent, the fast bowler joining Yorkshire on a three-year contract ahead of 2023.
Unfortunately, his first two years at Headingley have been ravaged by injury, with stress fractures of the back limiting him to just four Championship appearances – two apiece in 2023 and 2024. He is, however, on course to be fully fit during the first third of the 2025 season.
Yorkshire is Milnes’ third home in county cricket, with him also having played for home club Nottinghamshire, whom he first represented in age-group cricket.
He is a self-confessed “impact bowler” – a wicket-taker with extra pace. He is also a very handy lower order batter.
Milnes suffered his first back stress fracture playing for Kent in September 2022, just weeks after agreeing to join Yorkshire. He spent his first winter with the club rehabbing, only to pull up sore again during his debut against Leicestershire in the opening match of 2023.
After claiming four wickets and hitting a first-innings 75, he was sidelined until the final match of the campaign – against Worcestershire at Headingley, when he contributed three wickets to a win.
He played in the first two four-day matches of 2024 – draws against Leicestershire at home and Gloucestershire away – only for the same issue to strike again.
Milnes was somewhat of a late starter in terms of first-team cricket. While he made his first-class debut for Durham University in 2014, it wasn’t until he was 23 that he made his county debut – for Notts in the Championship in June 2018.
It was later that summer that Milnes, who also has England Lions experience under his belt, opted to make the move to Kent. He made his List A and Twenty20 debuts for the Spitfires the following summer.
Milnes, now aged 30, has a best of 6-53 amongst 153 first-class wickets and has taken 19 in 12 List A appearances and 45 in 47 T20 outings. His best season came in 2019 when he took 58 first-class wickets, including 5-87 in Kent’s Championship win over Yorkshire at Headingley.
He also helped Kent win the 2021 Vitality Blast, striking 22 times.
UPDATED: Feb 2025.
