Two Glamorgan youngsters left-arm spinner Prem Sisodiya and fast bowler Roman Walker are among eight new faces in an 18-man Young Lions squad that has been selected for the first half of the winter programme which continues after Christmas with the ICC Under-19s World Cup in New Zealand.
Prem and Roman who have progressed through the Glamorgan Development Programme completed their pre tour testing and profiling camp at Loughborough last weekend after impressing with their performances this season. Roman was awarded with the Most Promising Academy Player of the Year award this year, whilst Prem won Academy Player of the Year as well as being called up for an England under 19s Invitational XI that played India earlier in the summer.
Four Middlesex youngsters Ethan Bamber, Jack Davies, Luke Hollman and Savin Perera have also been selected after impressing last summer, three of them for London and East in the Super-4s competition for the country’s outstanding Under-17s.
Tom Scriven joins his Hampshire team-mate Felix Organ, and Dillon Pennington joins his fellow Worcestershire fast bowler Adam Finch.
The remaining eight players in the squad were all involved in the summer internationals against India: Tom Banton, Tom Lammonby and Fin Trenouth of Somerset; Warwickshire opener Liam Banks; Yorkshire batsman Harry Brook; Will Jacks of Surrey; and Derbyshire spinner Hamidullah Qadri.
Three seamers who featured for England Under-19s against India - Warwickshire’s Henry Brookes, Ben Allison of Essex and the Durham all-rounder Matt Potts - have been ruled out by injury.
Commenting on Andy Hurry, the head coach of the Young Lions programme, taking up a new role as director of cricket at Somerset, David Parsons, the ECB’s Performance Director, said: “Andy has played a key role in the development of our Young Lions programme and the wider Player Pathway since he was appointed head coach of the England Development Programme in September 2014, and on behalf of the ECB and also the many young players who have benefited from his energy and expertise over the last three years, I’d like to thank him for his work – and wish him good luck at Somerset.
“We have already begun the process of finding a replacement in what is a busy and challenging winter for the Young Lions, with a Tri-Series in South Africa before Christmas followed by the ICC Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand early in the New Year.”
Young Lions: Ethan Bamber (Middlesex), Liam Banks (Warwickshire), Tom Banton (Somerset, wk), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Jack Davies (Middlesex, wk), Adam Finch (Worcestershire), Luke Hollman (Middlesex), Will Jacks (Surrey), Tom Lammonby (Somerset), Felix Organ (Hampshire), Dillon Pennington (Worcestershire), Savin Perera (Middlesex), Jack Plom (Essex), Hamidullah Qadri (Derbyshire), Tom Scriven (Hampshire), Prem Sisodiya (Glamorgan), Fin Trenouth (Somerset), Roman Walker (Glamorgan).
Winter dates:
November 23 – December 10: Tri-Series against South Africa and Namibia in Potchefstroom.
January 15 – February 3: ICC Under-19s World Cup (New Zealand)