Surrey bowlers Tom Lawes and Matthew Fisher have been included in the England Lions squad for the tour of Australia
Matthew Fisher returns to the England set-up after an impressive first season with the Three Feathers. The right arm seamer took 31 Championship wickets in 11 matches, including a career-best 11/134 against Nottinghamshire.
Lawes took 15 County Championship wickets this season and impressed for the Northern Superchargers in the Hundred.
The 18-player Lions squad will play the England men’s team in a warm-up match in Perth before the start of the Ashes series, before matches against a CA XI, Prime Ministers XI and Australia A.
England Lions squad (18 players):
Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire)
Sonny Baker (Hampshire)
Jordan Cox (Essex)
Matthew Fisher (Surrey)
Emilio Gay (Durham)
Nathan Gilchrist (Warwickshire)
Tom Hartley (Lancashire)
Tom Haines (Sussex)
Josh Hull (Leicestershire)
Eddie Jack (Hampshire)
Ben Kellaway (Glamorgan)
Tom Lawes (Surrey)
Ben McKinney (Durham)
Matthew Revis (Yorkshire)
James Rew (Somerset)
Thomas Rew (Somerset)
Mitchell Stanley (Lancashire)
Asa Tribe (Glamorgan)
The squad includes four Test-capped players in Rehan Ahmed, Matthew Fisher, Tom Hartley and Josh Hull while Sonny Baker and Jordan Cox have both also been capped by England in limited-overs internationals.
England Men Under-19s captain Thomas Rew is one of four players who are called up to the Lions for the first time alongside Matthew Revis and Glamorgan duo Ben Kellaway and Asa Tribe.
England Lions Head Coach, Andrew Flintoff, said: “There are some unbelievably talented players in this squad, and this is a fantastic opportunity for them to go to Australia, excel in the conditions, and thrive against quality players. At the same time, these players will get a sense of what an away Ashes series is all about.
“Our coaching staff is looking forward to working with them to embrace that opportunity and help to build the experiences and skills that will benefit their careers.”
The England Lions will stage development camps in October at the ECB Performance Centre (Loughborough University) before touring Australia.
After arriving in Perth, the Lions will play England Men in a three-day warm-up at Lilac Hill from 13 November and ahead of the first men’s Ashes Test at Optus Stadium.
The Lions will play a four-day match against a Cricket Australia XI at Lilac Hill before an England XI takes on a Prime Minister’s XI in a two-day day-night match in Canberra.
The Lions conclude their tour with a four-day match against Australia A in Brisbane, at the same time as the second men’s Ashes Test.
Tour schedule:
13-15 November: England v England Lions – Lilac Hill (Perth)
21-24 November: CA XI v England Lions – Lilac Hill (Perth)
29-30 November: Prime Minister’s XI v England XI – Manuka Oval – D/N (Canberra)
5-8 December: Australia A v England Lions – Allan Border Field (Brisbane)
