The England selectors today announced a 13-man squad captained by Nottinghamshire’s James Taylor for England Lions’ forthcoming series against New Zealand ‘A’ and Sri Lanka ‘A’ next month.
The squad, which will be coached by the ECB’s Technical Director of Elite Coaching Andy Flower, will play two 50-over matches against each of the touring teams as part of a triangular series.
Commenting on the squad, National Selector James Whitaker said: “With the Royal London One-Day International series against India rapidly approaching and next winter’s tour to Sri Lanka and ICC Cricket World Cup also firmly in our sights, this is the perfect opportunity for these players to impress the selectors in the 50-over format of the game.
“We are delighted to welcome Ravi Patel from Middlesex into a Lions squad for the first time and look forward to what promises to be a closely contested series against two highly competitive touring sides.”
England Lions squad:
James Taylor (Nottinghamshire) captain
Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire)
Ravi Bopara (Essex)
Steven Finn (Middlesex)
Stephen Parry (Lancashire)
Harry Gurney (Nottinghamshire)
Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire)
Craig Overton (Somerset)
Jason Roy (Surrey)
Ravi Patel (Middlesex)
Tom Smith (Lancashire)
James Vince (Hampshire)
David Willey (Northamptonshire)
Coach: Andy Flower
Triangular Series schedule:
Tuesday August 5: New Zealand ‘A’ v Sri Lanka ‘A’ – Taunton
Wednesday August 6: England Lions v Sri Lanka ‘A’ – Taunton
Friday August 8: England Lions v New Zealand ‘A’ – Bristol
Saturday August 9: New Zealand ‘A’ v Sri Lanka ‘A’ – Bristol
Monday August 11: England Lions v Sri Lanka ‘A’ – Worcester
Tuesday August 12: England Lions v New Zealand ‘A’ – Worcester