Balderson, Bohannon and Hartley selected for England Lions
Lancashire all-rounder George Balderson receives maiden England Lions call-up for UAE winter training camp
England Lions have announced a 21-player group to travel to the UAE for a training camp from November 16 to December 7.
The group, which includes 10 players (George Balderson, Shoaib Bashir, James Coles, Josh De Caires, Tom Lawes, Dan Mousley, Callum Parkinson, Rishi Patel, Ollie Price, John Turner) who are part of a Lions experience for the first time, will focus on developing their red-ball skills predominantly.
Balderson - Lancashire's Young Player of the Year - joins Red Rose teammates Josh Bohannon who was the leading run scorer in County Championship Division One this summer and Tom Hartley - who made his England ODI debut in the series against Ireland last month - in the squad to travel to the UAE.
England Lions Training Group:
Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire)
George Balderson (Lancashire)
Shoaib Bashir (Somerset)
Josh Bohannon (Lancashire)
Brydon Carse (Durham)
Jack Carson (Sussex)
James Coles (Sussex)
Josh De Caires (Middlesex)
Matthew Fisher (Yorkshire)
Tom Hartley (Lancashire)
Lyndon James (Nottinghamshire)
Tom Lawes (Surrey)
Dan Mousley (Warwickshire)
Callum Parkinson (Durham)
Matthew Potts (Durham)
Rishi Patel (Leicestershire)
Ollie Price (Gloucestershire)
James Rew (Somerset)
Ollie Robinson (Durham)
Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire)
John Turner (Hampshire)
The camp aims to understand the depth of England’s pathway whilst providing developmental experiences for high-potential players closely aligned to England’s future needs.
Selection for the camp was conducted in close collaboration with both players and counties, and several players not selected have been encouraged and supported to take up other opportunities overseas to support their individual needs.
England Men’s Performance Director, Mo Bobat, said: “At the end of an enjoyable season and after close dialogue with players and counties, it’s exciting to confirm our group that will travel to Abu Dhabi for a training camp later this year.
“The camp will provide an excellent opportunity for the players to develop their red ball game and allow us to learn more about them as people and players.
“In selecting the group, we’ve carefully considered England’s short and long-term needs in Test cricket, particularly with sub-continent challenges in mind.
“It’s quite a large group and it’s great that we can support player development in this way for what should be a fun camp.”
The coaching and mentoring group accompanying the party will be announced in due course.