.jpg) Lees in 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Alexander Zak Lees | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1993-04-14)14 April 1993 (age 31) Halifax,West Yorkshire, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Left-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-armleg break | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Opening batter | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 701) | 8 March 2022 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 8 September 2022 v South Africa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2018 | Yorkshire(squad no. 14) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | →Durham(on loan) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–present | Durham(squad no. 19) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source:ESPNcricinfo,14 March 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alexander Zak Lees (born 14 April 1993), popularly known as Alex Lees, is an English professionalcricketer who plays internationally for theEngland Test cricket team. In domestic cricket, he representsDurham, captaining theList A andT20 teams.
He previously played forYorkshire. Lees made hisTest debut in 2022, and plays as a left-handedopening batsman.[1]
Alex Lees was born inHalifax, West Yorkshire, where he attended Holy Trinity Senior School. His introduction to cricket was with Bradshaw Cricket Club in theHalifax Cricket League, quickly moving from the junior ranks into senior cricket before he was a teenager. Lees left Bradshaw and move to Illingworth at the age of 13. He was attached toYorkshire from 2006, starting at under 11 level. He played for and captained the Yorkshire Academy in theYorkshire ECB County Premier League, and the Yorkshire Second XI in theSecond XI Championship, before progressing to the first team. He made his debut infirst-class cricket againstIndia A in June 2010, scoring 38 runs. In April 2013, Lees made his maiden first-class century in his third first-class match, when scoring 121 againstLeeds/Bradford MCC Universities atHeadingley.[2]
He was part of the England player development XI in both 2010 and 2011. In September 2011, Yorkshire County Cricket Club announced that Lees had been awarded a junior-pro contract.[3] He was given plaudits from the former England openerGeoffrey Boycott, who stated that "I think he's very good ... I like the whole package with him".[4]
Lees played his first match against an England first-class county side in April 2013, when he appeared for Yorkshire againstSussex, and scored a century in his third County Championship match with 100 againstMiddlesex atLord's.[5] In July, he played only the 50th innings of over 250 runs for Yorkshire, scoring 275 not out in the first innings of the match againstDerbyshire atQueen's Park, Chesterfield.[6] His innings was the third-highest score at the ground[4] and also made him the youngest Yorkshire player to score a double hundred.[7]
In August 2013, Lees was selected to play for England Lions in a two-day friendly match against the Australians at Northampton, opening the batting and scoring 33 runs. He then travelled to Australia with the England Performance Squad, though he did not pass fifty.[8] He also played for the Lions against Sri Lanka A Emerging Players in February 2014, scoring a century in the first match.[9][10]
During the 2014 and 2015 seasons Lees formed a strong opening partnership with Adam Lyth, helping Yorkshire win the County Championship in both years.
In 2016 he became Yorkshire's captain in both one-day formats - at 22, the youngest to hold the office, remarkably, since Lord Hawke.
In September 2014, Lees was named theCricket Writers' Club Young Cricketer of the Year.[11] On 13 August 2018, Lees signed forDurham on loan until the end of the 2018 season before signing a three-year contract at the end of the season.[12]
In February 2022, Lees was named in England'sTest squad for their seriesagainst the West Indies.[13] He made his Test debut on 8 March 2022, for England against theWest Indies.[14]
In April 2022, in the opening round of matches in the2022 County Championship, Leescarried his bat againstGlamorgan, scoring an unbeaten 182 runs.[15]
In July 2023 he made his best score forDurham County Cricket Club to date with scoring 195 against Gloucestershire.[16][17]
Lees was named Durham club captain in December 2024 after signing a new three-year contract.[18][19]
