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The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced the England Lions squad for the upcoming two four-day matches against India A later this month, picking veteran fast bowler Chris Woakes, who is returning to competitive cricket after suffering an ankle injury. Initially, the ECB were looking to pick him for the one-off four-day Test match against Zimbabwe, starting on May 22, but he didn’t completely recover in time from his injury issue.
Notably, the two matches for Chris Woakes in the England Lions jersey versus India A will be critical for him to prove his form and fitness ahead of the five-match Test series against the Indian side, starting on June 20. Apart from the 36-year-old, the likes of Rehan Ahmed and Dan Mousley, who have played international cricket for England, are also in the Lions squad to take on the visitors.
At the same time, Rehan Ahmed will only play the first match for England Lions against India A before joining the senior team for the three-match T20I series against West Indies. Jordan Cox, who missed out on being picked in the England squad for the Zimbabwe Test due to an abdominal injury, has been selected for the India A challenge, and he is expected to be fit for the second match, as reported by Cricbuzz.
The first match between India A and England Lions will be played from May 29 to June 2 in Canterbury, while the second match will go down from June 6 to 9 in Northampton.
Below is the England Lions squad for the India A challenge:
James Rew (c), Farhan Ahmed, Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Jordan Cox, Rocky Flintoff, Emilio Gay, Tom Haines, George Hill, Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Ben McKinney, Dan Mousley, Ajeet Singh Dale, Chris Woakes
