South-African born Michael Lumb started off his domestic career with the junior teams in Transvaal, but later on moved to play for Yorkshire. He made his debut in 2000 and went on to become a regular in the Yorkshire camp.

After some good seasons, Lumb moved to Hampshire in 2007 and it was then that his form began to flourish. He scored prolifically in the Twenty20 area in 2009 with 442 runs in 11 games that included an unbeaten knock of 124 against Essex. His performances fetched him a surprise IPL deal from the Rajasthan Royals in 2008. Stamped with Australian legend Shane Warne’s seal of approval, unknown Michael Lumb’s career took an upswing after performing well in the IPL under the patronage of the Australian spin-king, where his exploits at the top of the order made him one of the league’s best bargains.

Following international acclaim at the IPL, Lumb played a significant role in guiding England Lions to victory against the senior team in a warm-up game. That directly gave him an entry into England’s opening line-up for the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean. Establishing a promising opening partnership with wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter, Lumb played in all seven of England’s matches in their journey towards winning England’s first-ever international event. In 2012, he was grabbed by the Sydney Sixers ahead of their inaugural Big Bash League, followed by a place in England’s T20I squad for the 2012 World Twenty20.