Holden and Brook to lead England Under-19s this summer
Max Holden and Harry Brook will lead England Under-19s this summer in four-day and one-day series against India.
Holden, the Middlesex opener who has spent an extended loan spell with Northamptonshire this season, will captain the team in the two “Tests” in Chesterfield and Worcester - as he did in India earlier this year, and at home to Sri Lanka last summer.
Then the Yorkshire batsman Brook, another of six members of the four-day squad who travelled to India in the winter, will take over the captaincy for a five-match Royal London One-Day Series – for which the England selectors considered only players who are available for the ICC Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in early 2018.
That ruled out Holden and a number of other members of the four-day squad, including the Somerset pair George Bartlett and Ben Green, the Worcestershire fast bowler Josh Tongue, and the Surrey spinner Amar Virdi, who was invited to train with England Lions last week.
Andy Hurry, the head coach of the Young Lions programme, said: “We had an excellent tour of India earlier this year, when the lads involved learned so much both in red-ball and white-ball cricket.
“Facing the Indians in a return series this summer provides an excellent opportunity to build on that, and to face international opposition in more familiar home conditions.
“It’s going to be fascinating to see our most talented young cricketers put in that position. It’s worth noting that we didn’t consider four eligible players for selection as they are likely to be in contention to play first-team cricket for their counties – Sam Curran, Ollie Pope, Matt Fisher and Delray Rawlins – not to take anything away from the guys who have been selected, but to underline the amount of young talent we have in the domestic game.
“With the ICC World Cup in New Zealand early next year, it made sense only to consider players eligible for that when we were choosing our squad for the Royal London One-Day Series. But that series remains very important in its own right, and there should be some excellent Under-19s cricket for players and spectators to enjoy this summer.”
Hamidullah Qadri, the 16-year-old off-spinner who made an historic first-class debut for Derbyshire in the Specsavers County Championship last week, is one of the new faces in that one-day squad – putting him in line to become the first Afghanistan-born player to represent England at Under-19 level.
Warwickshire and Surrey each have three players in the four-day squad: opener Liam Banks, and fast bowlers Henry Brookes and George Panayi from Edgbaston; and Virdi, Will Jacks and Ryan Patel from the Kia Oval. Brookes, Banks and Jacks are three of seven players included in both squads – with Brook, Nottinghamshire spinner Liam Patterson-White, Durham seamer Matt Potts and Kent wicketkeeper Oli Robinson.
England will play a two-day warm-up match against a Unicorns XI in Loughborough on July 19-20 before the “Tests”, at Queen’s Park in Chesterfield from July 23-26, then New Road in Worcester from July 31 to August 3.
Eight more players have been selected for an Invitational XI who will provide India with their warm-up opposition, also in Loughborough – meaning a total of 27 youngsters will have the chance to face international opposition this summer, representing 15 of the 18 first-class counties.
The Royal London One-Day Series starts at the SSE SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff on Monday August 7, which is followed by a day-night match at the Spitfire Ground St Lawrence in Canterbury on Wednesday August 9 to be shown live on Sky Sports.
The series continues at the 1st Central County Ground in Hove on Saturday August 12, with match four at the Brightside Ground, Bristol on Monday August 14, and concludes on Wednesday August 16 at the Coopers Associates County Ground in Taunton.
England Under-19s squads
For two four-day matches against India: Max Holden (Middlesex, capt), Liam Banks (Warwickshire), George Bartlett (Somerset), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Henry Brookes (Warwickshire), Ben Green (Somerset), Will Jacks (Surrey), George Panayi (Warwickshire), Ryan Patel (Surrey), Liam Patterson-White (Nottinghamshire), Matt Potts (Durham), Oli Robinson (Kent, wk), Harry Swindells (Leicestershire, wk), Josh Tongue (Worcestershire), Amar Virdi (Surrey).
For five-match Royal London One-Day Series against India: Harry Brook (Yorkshire, capt), Liam Banks (Warwickshire), Tom Banton (Somerset, wk), Henry Brookes (Warwickshire), Adam Finch (Worcestershire), Alfie Gleadall (Derbyshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Tom Lammonby (Somerset), Felix Organ (Hampshire), Liam Patterson-White (Nottinghamshire), Jack Plom (Essex), Matt Potts (Durham), Hamidullah Qadri (Derbyshire), Oli Robinson (Kent, wk), Liam Trevaskis (Durham).
For Invitational XI to play India, Loughborough: Adam Finch (Worcestershire), Alfie Gleadall (Derbyshire), Feroze Khushi (Essex), Tom Lammonby (Somerset, wk), Prem Sisodiya (Glamorgan), Fin Trenouth (Somerset, wk), Liam Trevaskis (Durham), Harisson Ward (Sussex). (XI to be completed by members of the England four-day squad)
Fixtures
Four-day matches versus India: Queen’s Park, Chesterfield (July 23-26); New Road, Worcester (July 31 – August 3).
Warm-up matches: England v Unicorns XI, India v Invitational XI – both Loughborough, July 20-21.
Royal London One-Day Series versus India: SSE SWALEC Stadium, Cardiff (August 7); Spitfire Ground St Lawrence, Canterbury (August 9, day-night live on Sky Sports); 1st Central County Ground, Hove (August 12); Brightside Ground, Bristol (August 14); Coopers Associates County Ground, Taunton (August 16).
