Ball and Bell-Drummond earn England calls

Kent all-rounder Adam Ball (pictured)has been named in the England U19 squad for the T20 series against Sri Lanka U19s, beginning on 2 August at Emirates Durham ICG.

Warwickshire“s Paul Best will captain England in the two match series. U19 Coach, Adrian Birrell, said: "This T20 series provides a great opportunity to showcase the young talent in this country against a very good Sri Lanka Under 19 team. Good performances in these matches and the one day series that follows will provide a crucial platform for those players looking to further progress up the ladder in the national set up."

England U19 T20 squad
Paul Best (captain) – Warwickshire, Alex Barrow – Somerset, Adam Ball – Kent, Jacob Ball – Nottinghamshire, Matthew Dunn – Surrey, Lewis Gregory – Somerset, Ateeq Javid – Warwickshire, Jack Manuel – Worcestershire, David Payne – Gloucestershire, Adam Rossington – Middlesex, Joe Root – Yorkshire, James Thorpe – Sussex, Luke Wells – Sussex

The England U19 ODI squad for the five match series will be announced after the T20 series.

It has also been announced that Kent Academy student, Daniel Bell-Drummond, will captain an England U17 squad in their one-day game against Sri Lanka, on 5 August, at Sleaford Cricket Club in Lincolnshire. Bell-Drummond is in fine form and scored an unbeaten 88 as England U19s beat their Sri Lankan counterparts in the second Test at Scarborough last week.

England U17 One Day squad
Daniel Bell-Drummond (captain) – Kent, Shozair Ali – Warwickshire, Graham Clark – Durham, Ben Collins – Leicestershire, Ben Foakes – Essex, Sam Kelsall – Nottinghamshire, Aneesh Kapil – Worcestershire, Tom Milnes – Warwickshire, Adam Rossington – Middlesex, Andrew Salter – Glamorgan, Rammy Singh – Durham, Reece Topley – Essex, Shiv Thakor – Leicestershire

Commenting on the selection of the two players, Kent academy director, Phil Relf, said: “This is really encouraging news for both players. Daniel stepped up very well, into the England U19 side, and performed impressively to help them secure victory in the recent second Test. He showed patience, good temperament and skill in his knock of 88. It was a good effort to help see the boys through to victory. Being named captain of the U17s further outlines the high regard in which he is held by England. Adam hasn“t played as much cricket as in previous years but this was always going to be a real important development year for him. He has worked hard with England bowling coach Kevin Shine and now has the England U19 World Cup experience behind them. He is a more mature cricketer and continues to develop well. This double call-up is the latest in a long line of fine achievements from Kent Academy players.”