Crocombe and Coles selected for Lions

Henry Crocombe and James Coles selected for England Lions

Henry Crocombe and James Coles have been selected in the England Lions squad for this winter's tour of South Africa.

The selection represents a first Lions call-up for Henry Crocombe, who came through the Sussex Academy. 

Both players enjoyed a successful end to the season as Sussex clinched the Division Two title with Crocombe taking a career-best 4-22 against Gloucestershire to help us secure promotion in Bristol, whilst Coles hit an unbeaten 132 off 150 balls with the bat and taking 4-61 with the ball in the final match of the season against Middlesex.

Congratulations Henry and James! #GOSBTS 

Full ECB announcement:

The England Men's Lions have confirmed a 19-player squad to tour South Africa from 20 November to 14 December. The camp will focus on supporting the development of the highest potential players, with a focus on individualised and high-quality training. The tour will conclude with a four-day match against South Africa A in Western Province. The tour is designed to further develop England's talent pool across both formats and all skills.

England Lions Squad:

Farhan Ahmed (Nottinghamshire)
Zaman Akhtar (Gloucestershire)
Kasey Aldridge (Somerset)
Pat Brown (Derbyshire)
Jafer Chohan (Yorkshire) – part involvement
James Coles (Sussex)
Henry Crocombe (Sussex)
Josh Hull (Leicestershire)
Matt Hurst (Lancashire) – part involvement
Tom Lawes (Surrey)
Freddie McCann (Nottinghamshire)
Ben McKinney (Durham)
Harry Moore (Derbyshire)
Dan Mousley (Warwickshire)
Dillon Pennington (Nottinghamshire)
James Rew (Somerset)
Hamza Shaikh (Warwickshire)
Mitch Stanley (Lancashire)
John Turner (Hampshire)

The group includes six players – Jafer Chohan, Henry Crocombe, Matt Hurst, Freddie McCann, Harry Moore, and Mitch Stanley – who are experiencing their first Lions call-up. 

Due to their Big Bash League commitments, Chohan, the Yorkshire leg-spinner, and Lancashire wicketkeeper-batter Hurst will join for part of the tour. Notably, Chohan, who this week was selected for the England white-ball squad for their tour of the West Indies, is the first graduate of the successful South Asian Cricket Academy to be selected for an England squad.

Four players have previously been involved in England’s senior squads: Pat Brown, Josh Hull, Dan Mousley, and Dillon Pennington. Derbyshire seamer Brown represented England at T20 level, with the last of his four caps coming in November 2019. Leicestershire seamer Hull earned his England Test debut last month at The Kia Oval against Sri Lanka.

This tour will mark the first for newly appointed England Lions Head Coach Andrew Flintoff. The former England international and current coach of the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred, will lead the Lions over the next 12 months.
 
England Men’s Lions Head Coach, Andrew Flintoff, commented:

“We’re delighted to have such a high-potential group of players heading to South Africa. In selecting these players, we have a mix of well-established performers who’ve been in the England setup and excelled in the domestic game, through to some of the most exciting young talent coming through.

“The camp will support and accelerate the players’ development, provide insight into various aspects of the international setup and aid their transition into future performance setups”.

England Men’s Performance Director, Ed Barney, commented:

“Selection aligns with England’s short and long-term needs across all formats, and we will continue supporting a group of exciting pace bowlers. Over half the squad consists of seamers, reflecting our continued focus on supporting these players to achieve their potential.

“We are also excited about the competitive match opportunities, with a four-day fixture against South Africa A offering the opportunity for the squad to enjoy putting their skills on show against strong opposition.”

The full coaching and support staff will be announced shortly.