Kent duo named in England U19s squad for Sri Lanka Test series

Kent duo Adam Ball and Daniel Bell-Drummond (pictured)have both been named in a 14 man England U19s squad for the two match Test series against Sri Lanka U19s, beginning on Wednesday 21 July in Northampton.

Ball, who played for England at the last under 19 World Cup, is joined in the squad for the first time by Bell-Drummond, a fellow all-rounder.

Commenting on their selection, Kent“s Academy director, Phil Relf, said:”Adam and Daniel have both impressed the ECB selectors through their performances in training and in matches this year. At the end of May, they both made match-winning contributions with the bat in games against county second teams. Adam had already performed well in the under 19 World Cup but Daniel“s impressive form has brought him to the attention of the under 19 management. He was involved with an ECB Scholarship programme over the winter, which supplemented the support our Academy programme has given him. It has also built on the excellent work carried out by the coaches at Millfield School; Mark Davies and former Kent and England all-rounder Richard Ellison. Both should take a lot of credit for the programme they provide. Adam and Daniel have worked very hard on their all round games and they are great examples for younger players in our system. We wish them all the best for the series against Sri Lanka."

England U19s are coached by Adrian Birrell who will be with the squad for the duration of the Sri Lanka series. The squad will meet on Friday 16 July and a captain will be selected ahead of the first Test on Wednesday 21 July. England U19s will also play two Twenty20 matches and a five match ODI series against Sri Lanka U19s. These squads will be announced during the first Test match.

England U19s Test squad
Adam Ball (Kent)
Jacob Ball (Nottinghamshire)
Michael Bates (Hampshire)
Daniel Bell-Drummond (Kent)
Paul Best (Warwickshire)
Matthew Dunn (Surrey)
Lewis Gregory (Somerset)
Ateeq Javid (Warwickshire)
Jack Manuel (Worcestershire)
David Payne (Gloucestershire)
Azeem Rafiq (Yorkshire)
Joe Root (Yorkshire)
Atif Sheikh (Derbyshire)
Luke Wells (Sussex)

Fixtures
21-24 July Test vs Sri Lanka U19s Northampton
27-30 July Test vs Sri Lanka U19s Scarborough