The England Men’s Lions have confirmed a 19-player squad to tour South Africa from 20 November to 14 December, which will include a training camp and four-day match against South Africa A.
The group includes Yorkshire’s Jafer Chohan who will experience his first Lions call-up, in what has been a momentous week for the player after he signed a new three-year contract with Yorkshire, and was selected alongside Club teammate Adil Rashid, for the England white-ball squad for their tour of the West Indies.
The camp will focus on supporting the development of the highest potential players, with a focus on individualised and high-quality training. The tour will conclude with a four-day match against South Africa A in Western Province. The tour is designed to further develop England’s talent pool across both formats and all skills.
Due to his Big Bash League commitments, Chohan, who is the first graduate of the successful South Asian Cricket Academy, will join for part of the tour.
This tour will mark the first for newly appointed England Lions Head Coach Andrew Flintoff. The former England international and current coach of the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, will lead the Lions over the next 12 months.
England Men’s Lions Head Coach, Andrew Flintoff, commented: “We’re delighted to have such a high-potential group of players heading to South Africa. In selecting these players, we have a mix of well-established performers who’ve been in the England setup and excelled in the domestic game, through to some of the most exciting young talent coming through.
“The camp will support and accelerate the players’ development, provide insight into various aspects of the international setup and aid their transition into future performance setups”.
England Men’s Performance Director, Ed Barney, commented: “Selection aligns with England’s short and long-term needs across all formats, and we will continue supporting a group of exciting pace bowlers. Over half the squad consists of seamers, reflecting our continued focus on supporting these players to achieve their potential.
“We are also excited about the competitive match opportunities, with a four-day fixture against South Africa A offering the opportunity for the squad to enjoy putting their skills on show against strong opposition.”
The full coaching and support staff will be announced shortly.
England Lions Squad:
Farhan Ahmed (Nottinghamshire)
Zaman Akhtar (Gloucestershire)
Kasey Aldridge (Somerset)
Pat Brown (Derbyshire)
Jafer Chohan (Yorkshire) – part involvement
James Coles (Sussex)
Henry Crocombe (Sussex)
Josh Hull (Leicestershire)
Matt Hurst (Lancashire) – part involvement
Tom Lawes (Surrey)
Freddie McCann (Nottinghamshire)
Ben McKinney (Durham)
Harry Moore (Derbyshire)
Dan Mousley (Warwickshire)
Dillon Pennington (Nottinghamshire)
James Rew (Somerset)
Hamza Shaikh (Warwickshire)
Mitch Stanley (Lancashire)
John Turner (Hampshire)