Lancashire trio named in England Men's Lions squad for Australia tour
England Men’s Lions have confirmed a 16-player squad for their upcoming tour of Australia in January, with Lancashire's Rocky Flintoff, Tom Hartley and Mitch Stanley all included.
The England A tour features two four-day matches against a Cricket Australia XI in Brisbane, followed by a first-class Test against Australia A in Sydney.
England Men’s Lions Squad:
Sonny Baker (Hampshire), Shoaib Bashir (Somerset), Pat Brown (Derbyshire), James Coles (Sussex), Sam Cook (Essex), Alex Davies (Warwickshire), Rocky Flintoff (Lancashire), Tom Hartley (Lancashire), Tom Lawes (Surrey), Freddie McCann (Nottinghamshire), Ben McKinney (Durham), James Rew (Somerset), Hamza Shaikh (Warwickshire), Mitch Stanley (Lancashire), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire), John Turner (Hampshire)
The squad includes five players – Shoaib Bashir, Pat Brown, Tom Hartley, Josh Tongue and John Turner – who have all represented England at senior level.
Lancashire teenager Rocky Flintoff is a notable inclusion. The 16-year-old received a late call-up to the Lions squad earlier this month during the training camp in South Africa, where he featured in the four-day match against South Africa A. Flintoff impressed in domestic cricket last summer, making his professional debut for Lancashire and becoming a consistent performer for the England Young Lions over the past 12 months.
The squad will be coached by Andrew Flintoff, supported by Neil Killeen, Richard Dawson and Graeme Swann. Australian batting coach Trent Woodhill has also been brought in as a consultant for the tour.
England Men’s Performance Director, Ed Barney, said: “We have rewarded players who have proven themselves at this level and those with significant potential. Matches and tours of Australia are always important and we relish the opportunity to test ourselves against quality opposition. This tour allows us to evaluate performances, refine preparation and continue working with some of the best emerging talent in the country."
The tour party departs on 3 January.