Tom Barber and Max Holden on winter International Pathway programmes...
Following the Lions and Young Lions squads announced earlier this week, below are details of the other two elements of the International Pathway this winter - the Pace Programme and the Overseas Placements.
PACE PROGRAMME
Worcestershire youngsters Josh Tongue and George Scrimshaw are among the five promising fast bowlers who have been selected for this winter's Pace Programme.
They are joined by Tom Barber of Middlesex, Paul Walter of Essex, and Leicestershire's Zak Chappell - with the more experienced pair of Reece Topley and Jamie Overton to join the Programme as part of their back to bowling schedule following back injuries.
The Programme will be led by Kevin Shine, the ECB's lead fast-bowling coach, and he will be assisted by Matt Mason, the Worcestershire assistant and fast bowling coach.
In addition to the opportunity for warm-weather training in South Africa early next year at the High Performance Institute for Sport at North West University's Potchefstroom campus, the bowlers will also make two trips to the Desert Springs resort in southern Spain.
After splitting their time between their counties and the Performance Centre through October and November, the Pace Programme will head for Spain from December 9-14, and again from February 27 - March 3, after their return from South Africa.
The Young Lions squad will also hold a three-day camp at Desert Springs next month before travelling to South Africa for a Tri-Series also including Namibia, and the Lions will prepare for their trip to West Indies early next year with a camp in Spain from January 20-25.
The first of the five ECB camps being held in Spain this winter will involve the England Women's Academy, from October 19-26. England's Physical Disability team are also planning a camp for next spring.
Pace Programme 2017-18: Tom Barber (Middlesex), Zak Chappell (Leicestershire), George Scrimshaw (Worcestershire), Josh Tongue (Worcestershire), Paul Walter (Essex). Reece Topley (Hampshire) and Jamie Overton (Somerset) to join Programme as part of their back to bowling programme following injuries.
Pace Programme Schedule
October 30 - November 3, November 6-10, November 20-24, November 27 – December 1: Performance Centre, Loughborough
December 9-14: Warm weather training camp, Desert Springs Resort
January 3-5, 8-10, 15-17: Performance Centre, Loughborough
January 25 - February 9: Warm weather training camp, Potchefstroom
February 27 - March 3: Warm weather training camp, Desert Springs Resort
OVERSEAS PLACEMENTS
Eight players, seven of whom have represented England Under-19s, have been awarded Overseas Placements in Australia and New Zealand this winter as their next step on the International Pathway.
Four are heading for Sydney: Surrey's wicketkeeper-batsman Ollie Pope; Delray Rawlins, the Sussex all-rounder who impressed with the Under-19s in India last winter; and the leg-spinners Matt Critchley and Matthew Parkinson, of Derbyshire and Lancashire respectively.
All four will play club cricket in the New South Wales Premier competition, in addition to practising with the New South Wales State squad and receiving specialist coaching - which in the case of the three spinners will come from Stuart MacGill, the former Australia leg-spinner who is now a member of the New South Wales State coaching staff.
Parkinson has been placed with Gordon, the club for whom Mason Crane excelled on his ECB Overseas Placement last winter, while Critchley is returning to Sydney for a second consecutive winter.
The former Under-19s captain Max Holden and Somerset's George Bartlett are heading for Perth, again to combine playing top-level club cricket - in their case in the Western Australia Premier Cricket competition - with specialist coaching.
Two off-spinners – Glamorgan's Andrew Salter and Hampshire's Brad Taylor - will spend the winter in Wellington, receiving specialist coaching from Jeetan Patel of Warwickshire and New Zealand, and training with the Wellington Firebirds, in addition to playing club cricket in the Ewan Chatfield Trophy.
David Parsons, the ECB's Performance Director, explained: "By exposing talented young players to an unsupported, unstructured cricket programme in a challenging overseas environment, the aim of Overseas Placements is to develop the skills and also independence required to be a successful international cricketer."
Overseas Placements: Matt Critchley (Derbyshire), Matthew Parkinson (Lancashire), Ollie Pope (Surrey), Delray Rawlins (Sussex) - Sydney; George Bartlett (Somerset), Max Holden (Middlesex) - Perth; Andrew Salter (Glamorgan), Brad Taylor (Hampshire) - Wellington.
