Josh de Caires
English cricketer (born 2002)
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Joshua Michael de Caires (born 25 April 2002) is an English cricketer,[1][2] and the son of former England cricket captain Michael Atherton. He made his first-class debut on 5 July 2021, for Middlesex in the 2021 County Championship.
Paddington, London, England
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Joshua Michael de Caires | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 25 April 2002 Paddington, London, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm off break | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Batsman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Michael Atherton (father) David de Caires (grandfather) Frank de Caires (great-grandfather) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–present | Middlesex (squad no. 25) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FC debut | 5 July 2021 Middlesex v Gloucestershire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| LA debut | 3 August 2021 Middlesex v Lancashire | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: Cricinfo, 1 August 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal life
De Caires is from Paddington, Middlesex, England.[2] He is the son of former England cricketer Michael Atherton,[3][4] and the great-grandson of former West Indian cricketer Frank de Caires.[5] De Caires says that he has rarely seen his father batting, as he was born eight months after Atherton's last Test match.[3] He was given his mother's maiden name,[3][4] but does not know why.[3] De Caires attended St Albans School, Hertfordshire,[6] where he was coached by former England cricketer Mark Ilott,[7] and as of 2021, he was a student of economics at the University of Leeds.[8]
Career
De Caires is a batsman,[9] who often opens the batting.[10] He started playing for Middlesex CCC under-14s in 2015. On debut, he scored 90*.[5][11] In 2017, De Caires made his debut for Middlesex Second XI, at the age of 15.[4][5] In 2019, he hit a century in a Second XI Championship match against Hampshire.[9]
In 2020, De Caires played for Middlesex in a two-day pre-season friendly against Northamptonshire CCC.[11] In August 2020, De Caires signed a three-year professional contract with Middlesex.[11] In club cricket, De Caires played for Radlett Cricket Club in the 2020 Hertfordshire Cricket League season. He was the league's second-highest wicket taker.[12] In 2021, De Caires played for Leeds/Bradford MCCU in a match against Yorkshire CCC. He scored 118 from 292 deliveries to help Leeds/Bradford secure a draw in the match.[4][13] The match did not have first-class status, as university matches no longer qualify for first-class status.[4] The Yorkshire bowling attack included England bowler David Willey.[4] He also played for Tickhill Cricket Club in 2021.[14]
De Caires made his first-class debut on 5 July 2021, for Middlesex in the 2021 County Championship.[15] On 9 July 2021, he made his Twenty20 debut, also for Middlesex, in the 2021 T20 Blast.[16] He made his List A debut on 3 August 2021, for Middlesex in the 2021 Royal London One-Day Cup.[17]
In 2022, De Caires scored a half-century for Leeds/Bradford MCCU in a match against Yorkshire.[18] In Middlesex's first match of the 2022 County Championship, he scored his maiden first-class half-century.[19]
In the 2023 County Championship match against Hampshire, De Caires took career best figures of 7–144. Later in the season, he took 8–106 in a match against Essex.[20]
De Caires signed a new two-year contract with Middlesex in November 2025, tying him into the club until at least the end of the 2027 season.[21]