The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announced that Scott Borthwick (Durham), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Will Tavare (Gloucestershire) and Tom Westley (Essex) will play in Sri Lanka Cricket’s major domestic competitions – the First Class Premier Trophy and List A Premier Limited Overs Tournament – this winter.
The young county quartet have each been identified by England Performance Programme (EPP) Lead Batting and Spin Bowling Coaches, Graham Thorpe and Peter Such, as cricketers who would benefit from a winter of training and playing in subcontinental conditions.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Foakes (21) and top-order batsman Tavare (24) will fly out to Sri Lanka on November 23, and will join up with Colts Cricket Club and Tamil Union Cricket & Athletic Club respectively. They will play in both the List A one-day tournament before Christmas and the three-day first-class competition in the new year.
Following the conclusion of the EPP batting and spin camp in Colombo on December 9, top-order batsman Westley (25) will remain in Sri Lanka to play for Bloomfield Cricket & Athletic Club in the remainder of the Premier Limited Overs Tournament. He will return to England over Christmas before heading back to Sri Lanka on January 2 to play in the First Class Premier Trophy, which gets underway with the first round of fixtures on January 9.
Leg-spinner Borthwick (24) will only feature in the first-class matches in the new year, playing for Chilaw Marians Cricket Club.
Former England and Glamorgan spinner, Robert Croft, will travel out to Colombo on November 23 for a two week period to work with and initially support Foakes and Tavare, and to assist with the programme set-up.
EPP Lead Spin Bowling Coach, Peter Such, said: “I’m delighted that we are able to give these four young players the opportunity to play competitive first-class and one-day cricket in Sri Lanka this winter.
"They all really impressed us with their performances in county cricket over the summer, and are all high potential players, who we are keen to see develop. This winter in Sri Lanka will provide them with crucial exposure to playing in challenging subcontinental conditions and within a totally different culture and environment.
“We ran a similar programme three years ago, which featured Moeen Ali, so I have no doubt that this will be a hugely valuable experience for them and I hope that they make the most of the opportunity to learn and develop as players and people.”