Hartley back with England after shifts in garden centre
The leading wicket-taker on the tour of India in the winter, he took nine wickets in the all-timer of a win in Hyderabad but has not featured since England returned home.
When Ben Stokes' side were playing their Tests in Pakistan in October, the left-arm spinner was listening to Test Match Special while working a shift at the family garden centre.
"I have found my plant knowledge has come on loads," he tells BBC Sport.
Hartley, 26, could make his England return this week in the one-day international series against West Indies, which starts on Thursday at Edgbaston.
He has had a decent start to the season with Lancashire but has still been putting in the hours amid the perennials.
"It is a 5am or 5:30am wake-up, walk the dogs, water the plants and then set up jobs for the staff, supervise and help where I can," Hartley says.
"They clock off at 5pm and I get organised for the next day.
"It probably is too much and I feel myself getting tired at times.
"If my on-field wasn't going well I would have to change things but I am doing all right on the field at the minute so it must be helping me."
The garden centre - Hartley's Nurseries to give it its proper name - is 10 miles or so outside of Liverpool and is a sixth-generation family business.
Hartley's father, Bill, won 4x400m gold at the European Championship in 1974 and later took on the company. The plan remains that Tom will do the same one day.
"My dad helps me out a bit but you have got to learn on your feet," he says.
"It is a bit of trial and error. Some prefer a lot of sunlight, some prefer the shade.
"It settles me on the field knowing there is something for me there after cricket and it takes the pressure off a little bit.
"If you have a bad game or season it is not the end of the world."
Hartley holds no hard feelings over his England omissions since India.
After the series concluded in Dharamsala coach Brendon McCullum, the one to call him last week to inform him of his recall, said "you would have taken that at the start of the winter".
Lancashire's Evertonian, who was originally picked because of his similarities to India's tall left-arm spinner Axar Patel and was smashed by Yashasvi Jaiswal in an opening nine-over spell which cost 63, is inclined to agree.
"It beat any of my expectations," he says.
"To say you have a Test five-for and debut it is something you can always fall back on."
On returning to the UK, Hartley had his appearances for Lancashire in the County Championship limited by the arrival of Australia spinner Nathan Lyon.
This winter his appearances were limited by a broken hand - an injury picked up on England Lions' tour of Australia.
He turned out for his club side Ormskirk in the Liverpool and District league to keep his arm turning over at the start of the season, as he had done at the end of the 2024 campaign.
"I came away tired in the face from laughing so much," he says.
"It is nice to take a few wickets. Sometimes here [at Old Trafford] you can go weeks and weeks without four or five in the bag."
Time out of the side has also provided moments for reflection.
Under Stokes and McCullum, England are aggressive with the bat but also with the ball - where the message is always to hunt wickets.
Hartley does not disagree with the mindset but is keen to remember his own strengths.
"Sometimes you look at why you are not being picked and the people who are being picked and think 'if I do that maybe that will help me get back in'," he says.
"Personally I have to think 'that is not me'.
"I hate going for runs, especially in white-ball. If I can go at six an over or less I will naturally pick up one or two wickets."
Hartley's return also comes at an interesting time for him personally and for England's limited-overs cricket.
They have lost 10 of 11 white-ball matches this year and Harry Brook has been appointed captain after the dismal Champions Trophy exit.
In the weeks since, England's supremo Rob Key has flagged the importance of England improving their batting against and bowling of left-arm spin if they are to return to the summit of the white-ball game.
They have bowled the fewest overs of left-arm spin of all of the Full Member nations in ODI cricket since the start of 2022, and England's left-arm spinners - Hartley, Liam Dawson and Jacob Bethell - have taken just seven wickets.
The result has been Hartley's recall to England's ODI squad and Dawson's return for the T20 series against West Indies that follows.
"You look at a lot of the top sides around the world and they do have a left-arm spinner," Hartley says. "For whatever reason it seems to work."
At 35, Dawson's recall looks to be one with an eye on next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
With Hartley, nine years Dawson's junior, in the ODI squad, he has the first chance to stake a claim for a place at the 50-over World Cup in 2027.
"Bumble [the former England coach and iconic commentator David Lloyd] came up to me the other day and said you don't know anything about spin bowling until you are 27," Hartley says.
"You don't realise you are learning but you are, always.
"It comes up in certain situations and then pops into your head what you have to do.
"You end up having more options, especially when it is not spinning as much - come over, go wide, use the footholes more, change the fields.
"You need that experience and game knowledge."
Blooms and bowling might be more similar than he knows...
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Her second attempt was saved by Spain's Cata Coll, who dove to the right both times. What proved to be the losing side of a mind game for England could have been a boost of confidence for Spain. Or, just maybe, the early disappointment was what the Lionesses needed in this penalty shootout. After all, we can't forget their Euros campaign started with a 2-1 loss to France in Group D. England teammate Grace Clinton was there to walk Mead back to the line with words of encouragement while Spain stepped up to the spot next. In terms of her standing among the titans of Spain's midfield, this was a big moment for Patri Guijarro, who some believe should be next in line for a Ballon d'Or. Knowing England were down a goal adds a surprising degree of pressure to the first penalty taker on the other side. However, Guijarro handled the moment with ease, timing her strike just after Hannah Hampton showed the faintest motion to her left. Guijarro's driven ball went down the middle, but by then Hampton was already out of reach. Before entering the penalty box and situating the ball on the spot, Greenwood bounced it with her hands three times. England head coach Sarina Wiegman has oscillated the defender between center and left back throughout the tournament. Greenwood held her own against the onslaught of offense from the Spanish front line from the latter position throughout regulation and extra time on Sunday. Advertisement Greenwood is known as a set-piece specialist on the team, though her last penalty in England's quarterfinal match against Sweden was saved by Jennifer Falk. This time, against Coll, Greenwood was more decisive, her left-footed shot low and well-placed beyond the Spanish goalkeeper's outstretched hands despite her correct guess as to where Greenwood was going. It would have been poetic if Mariona Caldentey had converted her spot kick. She scored the opening goal of the night, heading in a cross from Ona Batlle in the 25th minute. A goal in this moment would have been redemption for her missed penalty against Switzerland in Spain's quarterfinal. Maybe a goal in this moment could have carried Spain to another major international title as well. But Caldentey's slow walk to the penalty line proved deadly – either this limited the power behind her attempt or it gave Hampton all she needed to predict where the ball would go. In the end, Hampton's quick hop to the right was all she needed to hammer another nail in the World Cup winner's coffin. England defender Niamh Charles entered the match in the 105th minute to replace Lucy Bronze, who, after an agonizing handful of minutes desperately pushing through injury, had to be subbed off. The Chelsea fullback settled into the game quickly, picking up where Bronze left off with sturdy defending, and was a portrait of calm before her penalty: hands on her hips, eyes fixed on the ball to deny Coll any chance of visual intimidation or other mind games. What a shock it must have been to Coll, then, when center official Stéphanie Frappart blew the whistle and Charles sped toward the ball, running through it to give it plenty of pace. She struck it with her instep, but with such force that it whipped away from Coll and curled to Charles' left. Hers was easily the best shot in the series up to that point and wound up being the best of the whole affair. As she jogged back to her teammates, Charles could not help but try to hide a grin. There wasn't a bigger moment in this penalty shootout than the next Hampton save. Two-time Ballon d'Or winner Aitana Bonmati carried Spain into this final with her late-game heroics against Germany, finding the dangerous space between goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger and her post at what seemed a near-impossible angle. Bonmati's brilliance was still there, though. Her penalty attempt was strong, and precise. But Hampton's brilliance in this moment shone brighter. The Chelsea keeper dove to her right at the exact moment she needed to, blocking Bonmati's crisp attempt. This will be a moment in the 24-year-old goalkeeper's career that will distinguish her as one of the best keepers of her time, despite her having almost no depth perception. Captains are expected to come up big in moments like this, but Leah Williamson's tentative steps toward the spot exposed her. She cast her gaze just left of goal as she waited for the whistle, and while she deserves credit for what appeared to be an attempt to switch up the pattern of shots up to that point — none had exceeded waist-level height, and Williamson opted for something higher — it didn't quite reach top bins and was ultimately saveable. Coll dove correctly to her left and pawed the ball away with relative ease with her right hand. Salma Paralluelo had big shoes to fill when she subbed on for eventual Euro 2025 Golden Boot winner Esther González in the 89th minute. The Barcelona striker's profile is vastly different from that of González. From the moment Paralluelo entered the pitch, she shone, combining with fellow substitute Vicky Lopez to create fresh, inventive chances for Spain. Advertisement However, her penalty shot did not have the same effect. She looked focused in the lead-up, eyebrows furrowed on the ball, but her decision to approach it with her shoulders nearly parallel to the end line may have tricked her into overcompensating with her hips. Hampton guessed correctly, but a more precise shot into the side netting could have still beaten her to it. Paralluelo's miscalculation, however, dragged hers wide. It had to be ice-cold Chloe Kelly. She delivered England's second goal in their semifinal win against Italy, following through after her missed penalty, scoring in the 119th minute. She was England's hero then, and she was England's hero again against Spain. Kelly was summoned onto the pitch by Wiegman earlier than anticipated, coming on for an injured Lauren James in the 40th minute. It took only 17 minutes for Kelly to deliver for England, this time in the form of a cross to Alessia Russo, who scored England's equalizer. It was fitting, then, that the 27-year-old Arsenal forward walked up to the penalty line, with the trophy also on the line. She tokk a deep breath, lifting her left knee towards her chest. Then, proceeded with her signature hop, before drilling a 100 km/h ball past Coll. This was the fastest goal of the entire tournament, according to the connected ball technology in Adidas' Konektis match ball. It was also the second consecutive Euros where Kelly scored England's tournament-winning goal.
