NEW DELHI: Rocky Flintoff, the son of former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, has been selected for the England Under-19 squad for their upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka.
At just 16 years old, Rocky has been making waves for Lancashire's 2nd XI with consistent performances this season. He debuted for the team just two days after his birthday. Earlier in April, Rocky scored his maiden century against Warwickshire 2nd XI at Edgbaston.
The U-19 squad features several players with notable family connections. Leading the team will be Essex all-rounder Luc Benkenstein, son of Lancashire head coach and former South African batter Dale Benkenstein.
England spinner Rehan Ahmed's brother, Farhan Ahmed, is also in the squad as an off-spinner. Farhan recently signed his first professional contract with Nottinghamshire.
Wicketkeeper-batter Haydon Mustard is another name to watch; his father, Phil Mustard, earned 12 white-ball caps for England.
Nine out of the 16 players in this squad featured in the U-19 World Cup for England. However, Ben McKinney, who captained the team during the tournament, and Hamza Shaikh have been excluded from this series.
"We have selected an exciting squad for the series, with a blend of some players who are currently playing in the Vitality Blast and some younger players for whom it will be their first time in an Under-19s squad," Mike Yardy, England Men Under-19 coach, was quoted as saying in ECB media statement.
"As always, it's a great opportunity for the players to perform in an England Under-19 shirt and to experience international cricket," he added.
England Men U-19 squad: Luc Benkenstein (Essex - captain), Farhan Ahmed (Nottinghamshire), Tazeem Ali (Warwickshire), Charlie Allison (Essex), Noah Cornwell (Middlesex), Rocky Flintoff (Lancashire), Keshana Fonseka (Lancashire), Eddie Jack (Hampshire), Dom Kelly (Hampshire), Freddie McCann (Nottinghamshire), Harry Moore (Derbyshire), Haydon Mustard (Durham), Thomas Rew (Somerset), Noah Thain (Essex), Raphael Weatherall (Northamptonshire), Theo Wylie (Warwickshire).
