England Under-19s squad announced

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) today announced the England Under-19s touring party to play a five-match one-day series and one-off four-day match against Australia Under-19s in Western Australia next month.

The 16-man squad has been selected from the 2014-2015 England Development Programme (EDP) intake, and includes Lancashire batsman Haseeb Hameed and off-spinner Brad Taylor (Hampshire) - both of whom starred in England U19s' Royal London One Day International series whitewash against South Africa U19s last summer. In addition, the selectors have added Kent’s Hugh Bernard from outside the EDP, in order to supplement the seam bowling options.

Head of the EDP, Andy Hurry will oversee the month-long tour from March 25 - April 25, with support from EDP Coaches Tim Boon and Ian Brunnschweiler. The entire series will be played in Western Australia, with the standalone four-day match taking place at the WACA from April 6-9, followed by the one-day fixtures on April 13 and 15 in Bunbury, and 18, 21 and 24 at Murdoch University.

England Development Programme Chairman of Selectors, David Graveney, said: “This is the first time that an England U19 squad has toured Australia in over 10 years, and it represents a fantastic development opportunity for all of the players – particularly the chance to play a four-day match at the WACA.

“With all but one of the players selected eligible for the 2016 ICC U19 World Cup in Bangladesh next February, this tour, along with the subsequent reciprocal series on home soil in August, forms a hugely important part of England’s preparation for that tournament.

“This will be the first time we have played Australia U19s since we beat them in the third place play-off match in last year’s ICC U19 World Cup in UAE. That was a closely contested affair and we expect this series to be equally hard fought. Every Australian team that plays the game is always extremely competitive, and their U19 squad will be no different, especially given the quality of coaching provided by the likes of Greg Chapple, Graeme Hick and Troy Cooley.

“The fact that 2015 is an Ashes year for the men and women will only heighten interest in this U19 series, and I am certain that all 16 of the England players selected for the tour will be keen to set the tone for the summer.”

Australia U19s are due to subsequently visit England in August this year for a reciprocal tour, once again consisting of a one-off four-day match and five one-day fixtures.

England Under-19 Squad:

Itinerary