England Lions will tour Australia as a parallel series to the Ashes this winter, and will be the opposition for the senior squad's only warm-up game for the series.
The Lions will play three red-ball games in Australia, and the squad will serve to provide replacements for the Ashes cohort if required. With likely more than 30 players from the England domestic circuit set to fly out to Australia across both squads, the net being cast is big. Ahead of the squads being revealed, we asked three of our writer's to pick who they would take on the Lions tour.
Yas Rana - Head of content & Wisden podcast host
Squad: Tom Haines, Ben McKinney, Haseeb Hameed, Freddie McCann, Emilio Gay, Jordan Cox, James Rew, Charlie Allison, Ben Kellaway, James Coles, Matt Revis, Kasey, Aldridge, Sam Cook, Matt Fisher, Mitch Stanley, Sonny Baker, Farhan Ahmed, Eddie Jack
Lions squads are difficult beasts to predict but given they will be touring alongside an Ashes trip, I anticipate a more generous sprinkling of experience than on some recent Lions trips. Assuming Matt Potts occupies the final spot in the senior squad, I hope that in Sam Cook and Matt Fisher England take a couple of experienced pros in case of an injury crisis.
The majority of the squad bears resemblance to the group picked for the India A squad earlier this year. I’ve ‘recalled’ Haseeb Hameed who is playing the best cricket of his career, and James Coles who is an increasingly enticing all-round prospect. Ben Kellaway and Charlie Allison are two of the standout young batters in the country, while Matt Revis and Kasey Aldridge are two feasible long-term seam-bowling all-rounder options.
Katya Witney - Wisden staff writer
Squad: Ben McKinney, Jordan Cox, James Rew, Emilio Gay, James Coles, Alex Lees, Tom Haines, Dan Lawrence, Farhan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, Matthew Fisher, Sonny Baker, Sam Cook, Olly Stone, Eddie Jack, Ajeet Singh Dale, George Hill
I've allowed myself a couple of wildcards, along with some safe picks from previous squads this year. There are plenty of top-order options, with Ben McKinney, Emilio Gay and Tom Haines the Lions incumbents from previous series, although I also suspect now could be time for Alex Lees to return to England's fringes after a prolific couple of years with Durham. Another who must be edging ever closer to the conversation is Dan Lawrence, although perhaps backed in in the middle-order rather than as an opener this time around.
On the bowling front, Farhan Ahmed and Tom Hartley make up the spinners – Hartley was injured out of a Lions tour to Australia earlier this year. Among the front-runners in the pace attack, like Sonny Baker and Sam Cook, Olly Stone has put together a run of fitness which puts him in the frame. Matt Fisher's storming performance in Surrey's penultimate Championship game against Nottinghamshire potentially bowled him onto the plane.
Ben Gardner - Wisden.com managing editor
Squad: Sam Cook, Tom Taylor, Olly Stone, Matt Fisher, Tom Lawes, Sonny Baker, Eddie Jack, Jack Leach, James Coles, James Rew, Ben McKinney, Haseeb Hameed, Freddie McCann, Emilio Gay, Tom Haines, Dan Lawrence, Rocky Flintoff.
There are so many factors to consider. Most obviously, who’ll be in the main Ashes touring party. Then you’ve got those who might choose the franchise circuit over the Lions – Sam Curran's BBL deal means he will at least be in the country. Then, as a shadow party, England will want a group that leans more towards a second string than a have-a-look development group.
The batting group is opening heavy, but, let’s face it, if they need a fill-in, we know who it will be for. I was tempted by Ahmed Jr., given Ahmed Sr. will likely be in the main squad, but have plumped for Jack Leach, still the country’s most dependable twirler, and James Coles, whose batting alone warrants a look.
Among the seamers, I’ve looked past Zaman Akhter and Ajeet Singh Dale, who have the pace but not yet the returns. Tom Taylor, with 50 wickets at 24 this season, is challenging Sam Cook for the title of the County Championship’s nibbler-in-chief, so he finds a place alongside Cook. The others have all bowled the kind of spell or two that catches an England selector’s eye. And then Rocky Flintoff is just always in these things.
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