London, Dec 13 (IANS): England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have announced that Josh Bohannon will captain the England Lions on tour of India, which coincides with the senior men’s team five-match Test series in the country.
Bohannon led County Championship Division One run-scoring charts last summer with 1257 at an average of 59.85 with four centuries. He will be captaining a 15-member England Lions squad, who will be playing four red-ball multi-day matches in Ahmedabad across January and February 2024.
The squad also includes young batter James Rew, who struck five centuries among 1086 runs for Somerset in the last County Championship season, which earned him the PCA Young Player of the Year award. Keaton Jennings, who has a Test century in India against his name, opener Alex Lees and fast-bowler Matt Potts are also included in England Lions touring party.
The England Lions team will be based in Ahmedabad for the whole tour and are scheduled to play India A in three four-day matches at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The tour begins with a two-day warm-up match against India A.
“Playing a series in India at any level is a challenge to get excited about, it’s one of the truest tests for any cricketer. It’s great that our Lions team can experience that challenge and have the opportunity to showcase their skills in those conditions.”
“The squad has a strong core of players in it that were out in Abu Dhabi recently for the training camp, with some of those players already selected into the Test squad. There’s also a return for some more experienced players which aligns with supporting England’s more immediate needs,” said Mo Bobat, England Men’s Performance Director.
England Lions Squad: Josh Bohannon (captain), Kasey Aldridge, Brydon Carse, Jack Carson, James Coles, Matt Fisher, Keaton Jennings, Tom Lawes, Alex Lees, Dan Mousley, Callum Parkinson, Matt Potts, Ollie Price, James Rew and Ollie Robinson
Schedule
January 12-13: England Lions v India A, Narendra Modi Stadium – Ground B, Ahmedabad
January 17-20: England Lions v India A, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
January 24-27: England Lions v India A, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
February 1-4: England Lions v India A, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad