England Lions squad named for tour of Australia

Twenty-three players have been selected for the England Lions tour of Australia, which departs the UK on 21 January.

A squad of 16 players will contest the five 50-over matches against Cricket Australia and New South Wales XIs, including four players from Royal London One-Day Cup champions Somerset.

County captain Tom Abell is joined by England-capped teammates Lewis Gregory, Craig Overton and Dom Bess, as well as beaten finalist Mason Crane, who was capped at Test level in 2018.

The Hampshire spinner knows Australian conditions well, having impressed to such an extent in Sydney Grade Cricket in 2017 that he became New South Wales’ first overseas player in 33 years when he played against South Australia.

The Lions welcome back England’s two most-recent Test debutants for the red-ball leg of the tour, with Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley joining the squad at the end of the Test series in South Africa. The pair opened the batting against Australia A in the Lions match at Canterbury this summer.

Keaton Jennings will look to impress at the top of the order, while Lancashire teammate Saqib Mahmood will join the squad after England’s ODI series against Australia.

The Lions will face Australia A, a Cricket Australia XI and a New South Wales XI in three four-day matches in the second half of the tour. A captain for the tour will be announced in due course.

National Selector Ed Smith said: “We’ve selected two exciting squads for our Lions’ tour of Australia, where the aim is not only to win matches but to prepare players for international cricket.

“With this tour we’ve got England’s short-term needs in mind, with the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka and a busy summer schedule, as well as an opportunity to provide players with relevant experience for future Ashes series.

“Australia is a tough place to tour as an England player at any level, so it will be a great test for all involved.”

ECB Performance Director Mo Bobat added: “In addition to meeting England’s Test needs, one of our goals is to broaden and strengthen our white-ball talent pool in order to deliver sustained success across both formats. We have some exciting young players travelling in the squad this winter who we believe have what it takes to step up in the future. With several young players selected for the England ODI tour of South Africa, the Lions can provide a developmental opportunity to an extended group of players.

“In selecting our squads, we have given careful consideration to players who have been presented with franchise cricket opportunities and, for some, these competitive experiences are exactly what they need at this stage of their development.

“Our selections have been underpinned by progressive discussions with the counties about each player’s best interest and I’d like to thank the counties for their collaborative approach to informing our decision-making.”

England Lions 50-over squad

Tom Abell (Somerset)

Dom Bess (Somerset)

James Bracey (Gloucestershire)

Henry Brookes (Warwickshire)

Brydon Carse (Durham)

Mason Crane (Hampshire)

Laurie Evans (Sussex)

Richard Gleeson (Lancashire)

Lewis Gregory (Somerset)

Sam Hain (Warwickshire)

Will Jacks (Surrey)

Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Yorkshire)

Dan Lawrence (Essex)

Matt Milnes (Kent)

Tom Moores (Nottinghamshire)

Craig Overton (Somerset)

England Lions four-day squad

Dom Bess (Somerset)

James Bracey (Gloucestershire)

Zak Crawley (Kent)

Richard Gleeson (Lancashire)

Lewis Gregory (Somerset)

Sam Hain (Warwickshire)

Keaton Jennings (Lancashire)

Dan Lawrence (Essex)

Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire)

Sam Northeast (Hampshire)

Craig Overton (Somerset)

Ollie Robinson (Kent)

Ollie Robinson (Sussex)

Dominic Sibley (Warwickshire)

Amar Virdi (Surrey)

England Lions tour of Australia

Sun 2 February: One-day match v Cricket Australia XI – Metricon, Gold Coast

Tue 4 February: One-day match v Cricket Australia XI – Metricon, Gold Coast

Thu 6 February: One-day match v Cricket Australia XI – Metricon, Gold Coast

Sun 9 February: One-day match v New South Wales XI – Drummoyne Oval, Sydney

Tue 11 February: One-day match v New South Wales XI – Drummoyne Oval, Sydney

Sat 15 February to Tue 18 February: Four-day match v Cricket Australia XI – Blundstone Arena, Hobart

Sat 22 February to Tue 25 February: Four-day match v Australia A – MCG, Melbourne (D/N)

Mon 2 March to Thu 5 March: Four-day match v New South Wales XI – North Dalton Park, Wollongong