England Lions announce Test & ODI squads for Sri Lanka Tour

The ECB on Tuesday announced England Lions Squads for Test & ODI series for their upcoming Sri Lanka A Tour. The tour will begin with a three-day warm-up match in Colombo on January 25 & after the conclusion of the warm-up fixture both the teams will play two four-day Tests against Sri Lanka A in Galle. Followed by three ODI fixtures against Sri- Lanka A in Colombo with the first ODI slated to be played on February 15.

Four players have been selected in both the teams & players such as Tom Abell, Matt Fisher, Sam Cook & Tom Hartley are part of both the Test & ODI squad which comprises 28 players. The Test squad is a strong representation of the England Lions training camp that was in the UAE before Christmas. The squad also features capped players such as Hameed Haseeb, Fisher & Alex Lees. While the ODI squad witness the return of Saqib Mahmood & Brydon Carse. They were included in the lineup when they were a part of the pace bowler rehab program during the UAE Camp.

The squad will also see players such as Jacob Bethell, Tom Prest & James Rew who were a part of England’s U-19s team that qualified for the ICC U19 World Cup 2022 final in Antigua. Currently, Rew & Bethell are playing Grade Cricket in Australia & they will join England’s U19 team for the two youth Tests in Australia before joining the Lions Squad for the ODI series.

Speaking about the selected squad, ECB’s Performance Director Mo Bot said in an Official statement that it’s a great opportunity for players to get exposed to the challenges of Playing with Sri Lanka A team in the sub-continent which will further help them to groove into professional cricketers. She further said that these series will provide them an opportunity to monitor the performances of players ahead of the marquee event followed by the Test series in India

Meanwhile, ECB will also confirm the Head Coach & captains of each team before the beginning of the series while their selection is subjected to attaining England’s minimum fitness standards.

16 Players England Lions Test Squad

Tom Abell, Jack Carson, Matt Fisher, Nathan Gilchrist, Sam Cook, Tom Haines, Jack Haynes, Haseeb Hameed, Alex lees, Lyndon James, Ollie Robinson, Josh Tongue & Liam Patterson-White

16 Players England Lions ODI Squad

Tom Banton, Brydon Carse, Tom Abell, Sam Cook, Jordon Cox, Jacob Bethell, Matt Fisher, Mason carse, Matt Critchley, Tom Lammonby, Sam Hain, Tom Hartley, James Rew, Saqib Mahmood, Tom Prest & Luke Wood.