Gleeson, 36, was drafted into England’s T20I squad 18 months ago and dismissed Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant within his first eight balls on debut at Edgbaston. He is set to call the ground home this summer, as ESPNcricinfo understands he has signed a one-year, white-ball contract which includes an option to extend.
After playing five further T20Is in 2022, including two on the tour to Pakistan, Gleeson travelled to Australia with England’s T20 World Cup squad as a reserve. He was not required in the tournament itself, though was awarded a winners’ medal along with the other travelling reserves in the squad.
Gleeson has spent the last two years on a T20-only contract with Lancashire but missed the Blast in 2023 with a wrist injury and was released by the club at the end of last summer. “It’s my home county: it’s always going to be disappointing if they’re saying they don’t want you,” he told the Cricketer. “[But] I hadn’t played and as a player, you’re paid to play cricket.”
Injuries have forced him to operate as a freelancer for the last three years, having most recently played first-class cricket in August 2020. This winter, he has played for Delhi Bulls in the Abu Dhabi T10, Durban’s Super Giants in the SA20 and is now with Gulf Giants in the ILT20 in the UAE.