England Physical Disability Head Coach Chris Ellison has named a 15-man squad to play a six-match ODI and T20 international series against Pakistan in the UAE next month.
The 14-day tour, which gets under way on 16 March, will consist of three 40-over one-day internationals and three T20 internationals, all played at the ICC Global Cricket Academy in Dubai.
Cheshire’s Jimmy Williams has once again been charged with captaining the side, which includes six uncapped players at an international level: Ollie Barton, Matt Blamire, Steve Braithwaite, Alex Hammond, Iain Nairn and Jordan Williams.
It will be the second time that England’s Physical Disability team has contested an official international series against their counterparts from Pakistan, following the team’s inaugural tour to the UAE in 2012.
On that occasion Pakistan proved to be too strong as Williams’ England side went down 2-0 in the T20 series and subsequently lost the ODIs 2-1.
Commenting about the tour and players selected, England Physical Disability Head Coach Chris Ellison said: “The squad is a mix of experience and youth and I'm particularly pleased that we have been able to add six new players to this touring party, who have not played international cricket before.
"The introduction of such talented young players to the set-up is evidence for the continued development of our national disability cricket programme.
“A lot of hard work has happened, both on and off the field, since we last played against Pakistan in Dubai two years ago. All of the players learnt a great deal then, and with the recent instigation of the new regional talent development centres, the players are well prepared for the challenges they will once again face.”
ECB’s Head of Disability Cricket, Ian Martin, added: “Representing England is the pinnacle for any cricketer and so I am pleased for all of the players that have been selected for this tour. Pakistan proved to be a tough nut to crack in 2012, they are a strong side and we will have to perform at our very best to beat them, but I am confident that we have selected a squad that can do that."
The players will be joined by Ellison, newly appointed Assistant Coach, Qasim Ali, Team Manager Neil Bradshaw, and physio Sian Morgan, to form a 19-strong touring party.
England Physical Disability Squad:
| Jimmy Williams (captain) | Cheshire |
| Matt Askin | Staffordshire |
| Ollie Barton | Northamptonshire |
| Matt Blamire | Somerset |
| Steve Braithwaite | Lancashire |
| Fred Bridges | Surrey |
| Dan Hamm | Cheshire |
| Alex Hammond | Hampshire |
| Callum Flynn | Lancashire |
| Gordon Laidlaw | Yorkshire |
| Iain Nairn | Northumberland |
| Dan Reynaldo | Hampshire |
| Liam Thomas | Yorkshire |
| Jordan Williams | Lancashire |
| Sam Wyles | Warwickshire |
Schedule
21 March (morning) | 1st T20 | ICC Global Cricket Academy |
21 March (afternoon) | 2nd T20 | ICC Global Cricket Academy |
22 March | 3rd T20 | ICC Global Cricket Academy |
24 March | 1st ODI | ICC Global Cricket Academy |
27 March | 2nd ODI | ICC Global Cricket Academy |
29 March | 3rd ODI | ICC Global Cricket Academy |