James Coles

At just 16 years and 157 days old, James Coles became the youngest player ever to represent Sussex when he made his debut at The Oval against Surrey in the Bob Willis Trophy in September 2020 - and he did not disappoint.

His left-arm spin accounted for Rory Burns, Jamie Smith and Ben Foakes - and the 21 runs he scored in the match demonstrated a sound technique and composure that suggested the emergence of a very talented player.

That talent has evolved under the eye of Sussex boss Paul Farbrace, as shown by James Coles' performances in last season's County Championship.

He scored 1,032 runs, including four centuries, at an average of 47, and added 20 wickets, as well as providing as safe a pair of hands as anywhere in the Championship with 19 catches, most of those at second slip, a position in which he has excelled.

He made his first-class debut for Sussex as a 16-year-old, and most recently starred for England Lions in their white-ball series against Pakistan Shaheens. He was the leading wicket-taker in the T20I leg of that series, taking eight wickets at an average of 8.25. He took five wickets for Southern Brave in last year's competition, and scored 129 runs at a strike rate of 136.26.

James Coles The Hundred

In 2025-26, the Buckinghamshire-born Coles’ profile rapidly increased. He made an impact for Sunrisers Eastern Cape in his maiden SA20 season and was integral with both bat and ball to propel them to the final. A left-arm spinner who bats in the middle-order.

After a mercurial rise in the previous season, in the first-ever The Hundred 2026 auction, young English uncapped talent became the most expensive player in the inaugural Men's Hundred auction after being purchased for a whopping GBP 390,000 by London Spirit.  

(As of March 2026)