Dan Mousley has been named England Lions captain for their series against South Africa A, with seven players receiving call-ups to the development squad for the first time.
Mousley will lead the side in two four day matches later this month. After he was selected for England as an injury replacement in their white-ball squads in the Caribbean in 2024, Mousley played three ODIs and four T20Is in that series. He impressed with the ball in the second of those T20Is, taking figures of 2-29 with his quick variety of off-spin.
It's with their bat where Mousley's primary skill lies, however. He struck 144 for Warwickshire in the opening round of the ongoing County Championship season, batting at No.3 against Surrey at Edgbaston.
Mousley has previously only captained Lions sides in white-ball formats, leading them in their 50-over series against Pakistan Shaheens earlier this year.
England hand Lions call-ups to seven new faces
Seven members of the squad have been given call-ups for the first time. Highly-rated Sussex quick Henry Crocombe is one of those players, although he will only be available for the second four-day match. Crocombe is currently sixth on the wicket-taking charts in Division One of the County Championship, having taken 19 wickets at an average of 24.94. Somerset seamer Alfie Ogborne will be available for the first game, but will leave the squad before the second.
After impressing with a century in the U19 World Cup earlier this year, middle-order batter Ben Mayes has also received his maiden Lions call-up. Middlesex teammates Naavya Sharma (right-arm quick) and Ben Geedes (opening batter) are also in the squad for the first time. Alongside Mayes, Charlie Allison is another option the Lions will have for the first time in the middle-order, while Northamptonshire seam-bowling allrounder James Sales also makes his first appearance in the squad.
Of returning faces from the Lions tour to Australia last year, fast-bowlers Eddie Jack, Mitchell Stanley and Tom Lawes have all been retained. The trio were all given ECB development contracts at the end of last year.
Durham opener Ben McKinney, who was an outside bet in the race to replace Zak Crawley in the senior England Test squad this summer, has also been included. McKinney hit a double-century against Gloucestershire in the County Championship last month, and starred with an unbeaten 87 in Durham's most recent fixture against Worcestershire.
England Lions will begin their series against South Africa A on Friday, May 22 at Arundel.
England Lions squad v South Africa A
Dan Mousley, Charlie Allison, Henry Crocombe (second match only), Eddie Jack, Ben Geddes, Ben Mayes, Ben McKinney, Tom Lawes, Alfie Ogborne (first match only), Liam Patterson-White, James Sales, Naavya Sharma, Mitchell Stanley, Asa Tribe, James Wharton.
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