Shaikh to captain England Men U19s for first time

Warwickshire batter Hamza Shaikh will captain England Men U19s for the first time during the two-match Youth Test series against Sri Lanka this month.

Shaikh, 18, has skippered Warwickshire’s Second XI and is a part of the FCC Select XI that will this week play West Indies in a three-day warm-up match at Beckenham.

Shaikh said: "Captaining England at any level is an incredible honour. I’ve got to know the guys well over the last couple of years so I know I’ll have great support and experience to draw on.

“I’ve captained Warwickshire’s Second XI several times this summer. At times I’ve been captaining sides including the likes of Chris Woakes, Liam Norwell and Jake Lintott. They’ve helped me and given me more confidence in my leadership on and off the field, advising on bowling options and field placements.

"I like to think I’m a fairly calm guy and captaincy doesn’t phase me. I’m looking forward to the challenge and hopefully coming away with a series win.”

A 14-player squad has been selected for the series, which begins at Wormsley on Monday 8 July before the second Youth Test at Cheltenham from Tuesday 16 July.

England Men U19s Youth Test squad

Hamza Shaikh (Warwickshire – captain), Farhan Ahmed (Nottinghamshire), Charlie Barnard (Lancashire), Jack Carney (unattached), Jaydn Denly (Kent), Rocky Flintoff (Lancashire), Kesh Fonseka (Lancashire), Alex French (Surrey), Alex Green (Leicestershire), Eddie Jack (Hampshire), Freddie McCann (Nottinghamshire), Harry Moore (Derbyshire), Noah Thain (Essex), Archie Vaughan (Somerset).

ends