The ECB has announced a spin-heavy England Lions training squad for a winter training camp in the UAE next month. Ten players have been drafted into the second-tier set-up for the first time.
With the England men’s Test side travelling to India for a five-match series in January, eight spinners have been selected for this trip. These include Leicestershire’s Rehan Ahmed, who made his Test debut against Pakistan last winter, and Middlesex offspinner Josh De Caires, earning his first Lions call after taking 27 Division One wickets at 25.59.
Other notable inclusions are Tom Lawes, whose 30 dismissals helped Surrey to the County Championship, and Somerset’s James Rew, who struck five centuries among 1086 runs, which earned him the PCA Young Player of the Year award. Fast bowlers Matthew Fisher, Matthew Potts, Josh Tongue and Brydon Carse, all of whom have international caps to their name, will also attend the camp, which runs from November 16 to December 7.
The aim of the three weeks is…