Matthew Potts, Keaton Jennings and Alex Lees are among the Test-capped players named in the England Lions squad for next month’s tour to India.
The bulk of the 15-man squad is drawn from an inexperienced Lions group that travelled to the UAE for a recent training camp, but with the tour overlapping with the start of England’s Test series in India, a number of more senior players are also involved, with the possibility that some could join the main group if required.
Only four seamers were named in the Test squad for a five-match series earlier this week, so Potts - who impressed at the start of the 'Bazball' era in the 2022 home summer and featured as recently as June’s Test against Ireland - could well find himself involved should injury or fatigue strike.
Matt Fisher, who last played Test cricket on the tour of the West Indies in March 2022, is also included in the Lions group, as is Durham’s Brydon Carse, who is yet to make a Test debut but has played 17 white-ball internationals, including two ODIs on the ongoing tour of the West Indies.
Lees, meanwhile, was dropped as Test opener at the end of the 2022 home summer but remains on England’s radar after a superb season back in county action for Durham.
Jennings was name-checked by managing director Rob Key on Monday as a player who could be called into the Test squad in case of injury owing to his strong record in Asia. The top-order batter was unused on last year’s tour of Pakistan and has Test hundreds in India and Sri Lanka to his name.
Lancashire’s Josh Bohannon, the leading run-scorer in Division One last season, will captain the side, while a host of young spinners including Jack Carson and Callum Parkinson are also involved.
The Lions are due to play a two-day warm-up game followed by three four-day matches in Ahmedabad.
Lions squad for tour of India
Josh Bohannon (Lancashire - captain), Kasey Aldridge (Somerset), Brydon Carse (Durham), Jack Carson (Sussex), James Coles (Sussex), Matt Fisher (Yorkshire), Keaton Jennings (Lancashire), Tom Lawes (Surrey), Alex Lees (Durham), Dan Mousley (Warwickshire), Callum Parkinson (Durham), Matt Potts (Durham), Ollie Price (Gloucestershire), James Rew (Somerset), Ollie Robinson (Durham).
