Kent trio to represent South in Abu Dhabi series
Saturday 17th December 2016
Kent trio Daniel Bell-Drummond, Matt Coles and Sam Northeast will be given the chance to press their England one-day claims in the first North versus South series in the UAE next March.
Opener Bell-Drummond and skipper Northeast will join Coles, who already gained selection for his performances in the 2016 Royal London One-Day Cup.
National Selector James Whitaker said: “For all the players selected, the North versus South series is a platform to make an impression.
“As Andrew Strauss said when he introduced the series before the start of the 2016 season, we see it as an important addition to our selection process in 50-over cricket, ahead of the two major global events we are staging over the next three summers – the Champions Trophy next year, and the World Cup in 2019.
“With the calibre of the squads we have selected, we are confident there will be an intense and high-quality level of competition that allows us to assess players who are currently just outside the England squad, and their ability to perform at that higher level.
“The teams will be led by two members of the senior England coaching staff – Paul Farbrace with the South, and Ottis Gibson with the North.
"They were both involved in the selection process, and the England head coach Trevor Bayliss will be attending the matches with me next March.
“We also wanted to use this series as an opportunity to see some other players who have shown potential in the county game.”
Four players in each team had already earned their places through their performances in the 2016 Royal London One-Day Cup, measured by the Professional Cricketers’ Association’s Most Valuable Player rankings.
Daniel Bell-Drummond is one of eight members of the Lions one-day squad that will all head direct to Dubai at the end of the Lions tour against Sri Lanka A in March.
The squads will gather in Dubai ahead of warm-up matches on March 15, with the first two matches of the series at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on March 17 and 19 before it concludes at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on March 21.
Squads for North versus South series, March 2017
North: Keaton Jennings (Durham, captain), Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire Steelbacks*), Sam Hain (Warwickshire), Joe Clarke (Worcestershire Rapids, wk), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire Lightning), Jack Leaning (Yorkshire Vikings), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire Vikings*), Josh Poysden (Warwickshire), Graeme White (Northamptonshire Steelbacks*), Mark Wood (Durham), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire Lightning), Richard Gleeson (Northamptonshire Steelbacks), Harry Gurney (Notts Outlaws*).
South: James Vince (Hampshire, captain), Daniel Bell-Drummond (Kent Spitfires), Tom Alsop (Hampshire), Dawid Malan (Middlesex), Sam Northeast (Kent Spitfires), Liam Dawson (Hampshire*), B Foakes (Surrey, wk), Tom Curran (Surrey), Lewis Gregory (Somerset*), Tim Groenewald (Somerset*), Matt Coles (Kent Spitfires*), S Finn (Middlesex), M Crane (Hampshire).
* – automatic selection through position in Professional Cricketers’ Association’s Most Valuable Player rankings for the 2016 Royal London One-Day Cup