England Lions squad to play Sri Lanka A

England Lions four-day squad vs Sri Lanka A, Scarborough, August 2-5.

James Taylor (Leicestershire, captain)
Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire)
Ravi Bopara (Essex)
Scott Borthwick (Durham)
Jack Brooks (Northants)
Jade Dernbach (Surrey)
Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire)
James Harris (Glamorgan)
Craig Kieswetter (Somerset)
Stuart Meaker (Surrey)
Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire)
Joe Root (Yorkshire)

England Lions one-day squad vs Sri Lanka A, August 12, 14, 16.

James Taylor (Leicestershire, captain)
Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire)
Ravi Bopara (Essex)
Scott Borthwick (Durham)
Danny Briggs (Hampshire)
Steven Finn (Middlesex)
Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire)
James Harris (Glamorgan)
Stuart Meaker (Surrey)
Chris Nash (Sussex)
Ben Stokes (Durham)
Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

England Lions fixtures vs Sri Lanka A

Four-day match:
11am - Tuesday August 2, Friday August 5, Scarborough.

Three-match one-day series:
10.45am - Friday August 12, New Road, Worcester
10.45am - Sunday August 14, New Road, Worcester
10.45am - Tuesday August 16, Wantage Road, Northampton.



Well, they've clearly gone right off Adil Rashid. I can only assume Flower and co don't like his attitude, because on the surface, you'd think he should definitely be in the mix. It's hard to buy the "oh they want to protect him, hold him back and let him develop" linne anymore, especially since both Briggs and now Borthwick have jumped over him in the queue.

Jack Brooks! Danny must have already unleashed a litre of cum on some poor, unsuspecting gym sock.

What do I care Trev? He's Ashley Giles' now. Nothing to do with Northants. Apart from leaving us a bowler short for a crucial period.

I'm sure you've found some reason to unleash a litre of cum on a poor, unsuspecting gym sock today? I nearly orgasmed first in rapist like anger and then sex on crack delight when Sachin was dropped/given out.

Quite frankly, i'm spent.

They're called Womble's toboggans! Not really, I'm wary of the draw still, getting Ramesh means little at the minute. Being serious, I'm pleased for Brooks. In some ways it highlight the paucity of pace bowling in England that it takes less than one good season to be in the Lions squad...

I think the pace bowling stocks are...well...promising. We haven't seen the performances on the board yet, but there's quite a few 18-24 year olds in County squads capable of bowling around 90mph.

Yeah, I'll get more excited when they can hit the strip.

Joe Root?

It's Pete Sussex's influence. He said in an interview the other day that the young player who most impressed him on the county scene was Root. Didn't score any runs against Lancs, he said, but there were a couple of shots that made him go "Oooh, that's Luke Wrightian in its quality".

I'm paraphrasing.

He's looked solid whenever i've seen him. A good technique from which to build a game around. Might be something in a few years. But frankly, yeah, he's a bit of a random pick.

Henry wrote:
Well, they've clearly gone right off Adil Rashid. I can only assume Flower and co don't like his attitude, because on the surface, you'd think he should definitely be in the mix. It's hard to buy the "oh they want to protect him, hold him back and let him develop" linne anymore, especially since both Briggs and now Borthwick have jumped over him in the queue.

He didn't play for Yorks in their last Pro40 game. Perhaps he's injured. In any case, what else do they need to know about Rashid? He's played loads of games for the "A" sides. Might as well have a look at Borthwick.

But he wasn't picked for the development squad, or the Lions at all over the Winter. Did he play against the top Sri Lankan side early in the Summer? I can't remember....

Alex Hales
Chris Nash
James Taylor
Ravi Bopara
Ben Stokes
Jonathan Bairstow
Chris Woakes
James Harris
Stuart Meaker
Danny Briggs
Steven Finn

Anyone fancy that to beat England 'AA'?

Henry wrote:But he wasn't picked for the development squad, or the Lions at all over the Winter. Did he play against the top Sri Lankan side early in the Summer? I can't remember....

He played for them in the winter - he joined the Lions out in the West Indies once his stint at South Australia for the Rigged Gash was over.

The Lions didn't play a spinner against SL. Sam Patel was the nominal sixth bowler after five seamers had had a go.

Well, I can kind of see where the selectors are coming from this time. I'm not all that outraged that Rashid hasn't been picked, because yet again he's started a season strongly before gradually tailing off from June onwards. It should the the other way around. I haven't studied his figures with a fine tooth comb, but I don't think Yorkshire have overbowled him or anything like that. He just seems to tail off.

He's worth a go in the T20s- He's got some really clever variations in that form of the game, but he's not a viable test option at this stage, imo.

So, not only is Taylor being touted as Strauss's long term-replacement as opener - the management must view him as a FEC.

Taylor isn't an opener though, is he? Bats at three or four for Leics. Unless you're talking about Mark Taylor........

Henry wrote:Taylor isn't an opener though, is he? Bats at three or four for Leics. Unless you're talking about Mark Taylor........

Not yet, but my understanding is that England's management would like him to open.

JKLever wrote:Joe Root?

I 'Treved' him a couple of years back. (in the 'next best player ever', not some depraved sexual act incase that wasn't clear).

Gonna open the batting for the Test team one day.

Meh, hasn't even got a FC ton. Cheaping England A cricket...

You wonder why Stokes isn't in the 4 day squad what with him having 5 FC tons and an average over 45!

JKLever wrote:Meh, hasn't even got a FC ton. Cheaping England A cricket...

You wonder why Stokes isn't in the 4 day squad what with him having 5 FC tons and an average over 45!

Might be to do with his injury. Perhaps the four day game comes first and he's getting a little extra time to mend his bones before the one-day stuff. Ten days between the start of the four-day game and the first one-dayer.

Or it may be that it's a more experimental four-day squad. No Finn, no Woakes, no Stokes, no Rashid (as previously mentioned).

According to Windy Miller: "The England Lions series against Sri Lanka A is an important opportunity for those younger players to gain valuable experience against international opposition and push for further involvement in England programmes this winter.

"The series will also give players a chance to press for inclusion in the upcoming NatWest Series against India."

Which kind of suggests that the one-day Lions squad is the more serious one - with ODIs against India coming up.

I'd imagine Hales and Stokes just have to not get injured and avoid looking completely retarded in order to get picked for the ODI/T20 squad later in the Summer.

Henry wrote:I'd imagine Hales and Stokes just have to not get injured and avoid looking completely retarded in order to get picked for the ODI/T20 squad later in the Summer.

Phurt! England won their last ODI series. All is well!

Can't see Hales getting a go replacing Bedwetter (they have to pick him in his normal position surely?) in the ODI's but I could see him ousting Lumb from the T20 - that was almost a loyal continuity pick that one.

Unless they drop Bell from the ODI side, move Trott to four, and KP to five with Hales slotting in at three. Means it's less likely that Cook and Trott will find themselves batting together.

Stokes and Samit should be competing for the number seven spot depending on conditions.