LONDON, CMC – A strong 16-member England Under-19 squad has been named for a 50 overs-a-side, tri-nations series involving West Indies U19s and Sri Lanka U19s in December in the Caribbean.
The England & Wales Cricket Board said yesterday the series is the last competitive test for the young players before the ICC U19 World Cup, which takes place in South Africa in January and February 2020.
“With the World Cup on the horizon, this is our last opportunity to assess our squad and decide which 15 players to take with us to South Africa,” said England U19 head coach, Jon Lewis.
“We’ve also taken this opportunity to look at some players who are relatively untested at this level and have the chance to force their way into our World Cup squad.”
Nearly half the squad managed to secure county first team appearances during this past summer. Ben Charlesworth (Gloucestershire), Jack Haynes (Worcestershire), Jordan Cox (Kent), Dan Mousley (Warwickshire), Hamidullah Qadri (Derbyshire), Joey Evison (Nottinghamshire) and Tom Clark (Sussex) all had development experiences at the next level.
Many of the 16 players selected also featured in this summer’s tri-series against India and Bangladesh, including captain George Balderson and vice-captain George Hill.
Scott Currie and Sam Young come into the squad having showed their potential this summer in second team cricket for Hampshire and Somerset respectively, and together for Dorset in the National Counties competition. Wicketkeeper Harry Duke, from Yorkshire, is also new to the squad and was selected off the back of impressive performances with the gloves at the ECB Young Lions Super 4 Competition, as well as for the Yorkshire Academy and Second XI.
Lewis said the experience of playing against West Indies and Sri Lanka U19s in the Caribbean are a major step forward on the players journey and will help them understand the levels they need to achieve to be successful professional cricketers.
“West Indies and Sri Lanka are both countries with fantastic cricketing pedigrees and cultures, so we’re sure to experience strong and diverse challenges ahead of our main objective after Christmas,” he said.
Warwickshire batsman Ian Bell will join the coaching team this winter as batting coach, with former Hampshire wicketkeeper Nic Pothas coming in as fielding coach.
“I’m delighted to welcome Ian and Nic to the team for our two tours this winter,” he said. “After a thorough and open recruitment process, we decided that both coaches were exactly the right fit for the team and the programme at this point in time.
“The experience they have can only add value to the programme over the short period of time we have with the players.”
He added: “Ian is one of his generation’s highest run scorers, whose knowledge and experience of playing under pressure at the highest levels, including multiple World Cups, is a brilliant resource for the players to tap into and something that is not always available to them at county level.
“Nic has great experience in international coaching with West Indies and Sri Lanka and is a native of Highveld in South Africa, making him an ideal candidate to fill gaps in our knowledge of our opponents and the conditions we are going to play in.
“Alongside that he is a brilliant fielding and wicketkeeping coach, and I expect him to make an impact on our skill execution in the field, an area I am very keen to improve with this group of players. As we saw during the final moments of the Summer’s World Cup, it’s an area that can make the difference between winning and losing trophies.”
Squad:
George Balderson (captain), Kasey Aldridge, Ben Charlesworth, Tom Clark, Jordan Cox, Blake Cullen, Scott Currie, Harry Duke, Joey Evison, Lewis Goldsworthy, Jack Haynes, George Hill, Luke Hollman, Dan Mousley, Hamidullah Qadri, Sam Young
Itinerary
December
Sun 1: Warm up game v Antigua XI – Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua
Tue 3: Warm up game v Antigua XI – Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua
Fri 6: ODI v Sri Lanka U19 – Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua
Mon 9: ODI v West Indies U19 – Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua
Thu 12: ODI v Sri Lanka U19 – Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua
Fri 13: ODI v West Indies U19 – Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua
Tue 17: ODI v Sri Lanka U19 – Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua
Thu 19: ODI v West Indies U19 – Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua
Sat 21: Final – Venue TBC
