Four of Middlesex’s EPG squad were invited to play in internal England Young Lions fixtures at Loughborough University at the weekend.
Nilesh Bhandari, James Isbell, Seb Morgan and Jack Nelson all chipped in, and made contributions across the two 50-over matches which were held on Saturday and Sunday.
The standout performance from the quartet was James Isbell’s 95, which came off 91 balls in an innings that included nine fours and a six. There were some lovely shots in his collection as he unleashed drives and cuts to compliment some glorious sweeps.
Morgan also contributed well with the bat, making 51 not out and 27 respectively in his two outings – showing that like Isbell, he is an effective driver and cutter of a cricket ball. With the ball, he took two wickets across both matches.
With the ball, Bhandari claimed 2/29 on Sunday – deceiving batters with a variation of pace – allowing the wicketkeeper to whip off the bails. This followed his stellar performance on Saturday when he claimed 2/48 from eight overs.
On Saturday, Nelson made 27 at just over a run-a-ball, finding the boundary four times. Playing sweeps and aggressive shots down the ground, the youngster showed that he can be a destructive hitter down the order.
This time with England’s Young Lions, was just reward for the hard work put in by the boys and their coaches, who earlier in the month claimed the ECB Under-16 County Cup crown. Well done to all four of them.
