Glamorgan wicketkeeper Alex Horton has been selected in the Young Lions squad for the opening U19s Test against Sri Lanka.
The England Men’s U19 selectors have named a 13-player squad for the first of their two LV= Insurance U19 Tests against Sri Lanka U19 starting on Sunday.
Horton impressed at the 2022 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup, taking six catches in England’s first game of the competition against Bangladesh.
The 18-year-old wicketkeeper is set to make his U19s Test debut as England take on Sri Lanka at Chelmsford on Sunday.
Director of Cricket, Mark Wallace, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for Horts and we are extremely pleased for him to be making his U19 Test debut.
“He has put in a lot of hard work this year and has made his professional debut for Glamorgan too.
“Everyone at the club would like to wish him the best of luck for the upcoming week."
ECB's Elite Performance Pathway Coach, Richard Dawson, said: “We’re really looking forward to this series and seeing how a wide range of the best young men’s players in this country adapt to the challenge and opportunity of international age-group cricket.
“Already this season it’s been encouraging to see a number of the guys from our World Cup squad earning regular selection for their counties and making some significant contributions.
“The key for us when selecting a squad is working out with the counties what’s best for each individual player, and for the first Test match - in a number of cases - we agreed that it was best for them to continue playing domestic cricket.
“That removes some experience from our squad, but it also increases the challenge and opportunity for the guys who have been selected.”
The selectors will name a squad for the second LV= Insurance Test ahead of that match, which begins on 28 August at the Incora County Ground in Derby, before naming a squad for the three-match Royal London U19s Series.
Earlier this week, the squad defeated an Ireland Academy side by three wickets in a three-day match at Loughborough University as part of their preparation for the Sri Lanka series.
Squad: Ben McKinney (Durham – captain), Tom Aspinwall (Lancashire), George Bell (Lancashire), Tommy Boorman (Gloucestershire), Ben Cliff (Yorkshire), Bertie Foreman (Sussex), Alex Horton (Glamorgan), Matthew Hurst (Lancashire), Eddie Jack (Hampshire), Dominic Kelly (Hampshire), Ben Parker (Worcestershire), Harry Singh (Lancashire), Ross Whitfield (Durham)
England Men’s U19 Summer Fixtures
Sunday 21 - Wednesday 24 August: First LV= Insurance U19 Test - England U19 v Sri Lanka U19; Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford
Sunday 28 - Wednesday 31 August: Second LV= Insurance U19 Test – England U19 v Sri Lanka U19; Incora County Ground, Derby.
Monday 5 September: First Royal London U19 International - England U19 v Sri Lanka U19; New Road, Worcester.
Thursday 8 September: Second Royal London U19 International - England U19 v Sri Lanka U19; New Road, Worcester.
Saturday 10 September: Third Royal London U19 International - England U19 v Sri Lanka U19; Uptonsteel County Ground, Leicester.