Bell-Drummond and Billings in England Lions squad for T20 series
Wednesday 2nd December 2015
Kent duo Daniel Bell-Drummond and Sam Billings will take part in a five-match T20 series for England Lions against Pakistan A starting next week.
The pair, who received their Kent county caps in 2015, have been in the UAE since mid-November as part of the England Performance Programme with Billings taking part in England’s 3-0 T20 series win against the senior Pakistan team.
The Lions have lost four members of the 16-man squad originally selected in September, with Zafar Ansari and Lewis Gregory injured, David Willey released to play in the Big Bash and Chris Jordan promoted to the senior squad for the Test tour of South Africa.
They have been replaced by Danny Briggs, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson and Jamie Overton, all of whom have been on the EPP for the last three weeks, either in Dubai or South Africa.
For Briggs and Dawson – as well as Parry, Tom Westley and Dawid Malan – inclusion in the Lions squad will allow them to continue working with Daniel Vettori, the former New Zealand captain who arrived in Dubai on Sunday to work with the spinners alongside the ECB’s head spin coach Peter Such.
Steven Finn, who joined the EPP over the weekend to continue his rehabilitation from the foot injury he suffered before the Test series against Pakistan in October, will also stay in Dubai to continue working with the fast bowling coach Richard Johnson, and may play for the Lions as part of his back to bowling plan.
Andy Flower, the head coach of the EPP and the Lions, said: “We now switch from the Performance Programme, which has allowed the players to work intensively on their skills, to the first of two five-match series against Pakistan A.
“We welcome back the four guys who have been involved in the T20 series against Pakistan and congratulate all four of them on making significant contributions to England’s win.”
The Lions are due to play a final warm-up match against a United Arab Emirates XI on Friday before the first match against Pakistan A next Monday.
England Lions v Pakistan ‘A’ T20 squad, Dubai, December 7 – 16:James Vince (captain, Hampshire), Jake Ball (Nottinghamshire),Daniel Bell-Drummond (Kent),Sam Billings (Kent), Danny Briggs (Sussex), Joe Clarke (Worcestershire), Tom Curran (Surrey), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Jamie Overton (Somerset), Dawid Malan (Middlesex), Tymal Mills (Sussex), Stephen Parry (Lancashire), Reece Topley (Hampshire), Tom Westley (Essex), Ross Whiteley (Worcestershire).