Andrew Gale will prepare for his first season as Yorkshire captain by leading the England Lions against Pakistan A in the UAE in February.

Andrew Gale will prepare for his first season as Yorkshire captain by leading the England Lions against Pakistan A in the UAE in February.

Today's announcement caps a remarkable few months for Andrew. He enhanced his reputation with the bat in 2009, received the 2009 Yorkshire Player of the Year Award, got married to his fiancee Kate, was awarded a place on the England Performance Programme, signed a new 3-year deal with the Club and was announced as the new Yorkshire captain in December. 

He will take the reins of a 16-man squad that includes the Yorkshire spin twins, Adil Rashid and David Wainwright.

Speaking to the YCCC website, Andrew said: "I am proud to become the England Lions captain and I am excited about the opportunities that the tour will hold for us as a team and individuals. The series against Pakistan A will give us an opportunity to test our skills against other international cricketers and will be a great way to taste the international arena." 

There are seven players who were members of the England Performance Programme (Carberry, Finn, Gale, Kieswetter, Taylor, Wainwright and Woakes) and six players who were included in either the England ODI or Test squads for the tour of South Africa (Bell, Carberry, Davies, Mahmood, Rashid and Tredwell). Steve Kirby, Peter Trego and Michael Lumb have also been rewarded with a place in the squad following impressive seasons in the limited overs format for their counties throughout 2009.

England Lions will contest three T20 matches against Pakistan A, as well as T20 matches against the UAE and England. These will be followed by three 50-over fixtures against Pakistan A at the DSC Stadium, Dubai.

David Parsons, ECB Performance Director, said: "We have an excellent balance of younger players who are just beginning to stake their claim for international honours and players with plenty of  experience at full international or county level in this England Lions squad, and I have no doubt that every member will gain a huge amount from the three week tour. We ran a very successful Performance Programme during November and December and I am delighted that six players from this year's EPP have been selected for this tour. This represents an opportunity for them to test themselves against quality opposition and to press their case for a place in the England side."

ENGLAND LIONS SQUAD

Andrew Gale (capt, Yorkshire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Michael Carberry (Hampshire), Michael Lumb (Hampshire), James Taylor (Leicestershire), Craig Kieswetter (Somerset), Steven Davies (Surrey), Peter Trego (Somerset), James Tredwell (Kent), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Sajid Mahmood (Lancashire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Steve Kirby (Gloucestershire), David Wainwright (Yorkshire).

James Tredwell will join the England Lions squad for the first four matches of the tour when he will transfer to the England One-Day squad for the tour of Bangladesh.

England’s full One-Day and Test squads to tour Bangladesh will be announced after the conclusion of the current Test series in South Africa.

ENGLAND LIONS TOUR OF UAE

• Feb 10: UAE, T20 match, Sharjah
• Feb 12: Pakistan A, T20 match, Sharjah
• Feb 14: Pakistan A, T20 match, Sharjah
• Feb 16: Pakistan A, T20 match, Abu Dhabi
• Feb 17: England, T20 match, Abu Dhabi
• Feb 22: Pakistan A, 50-over match, DSC Stadium, Dubai
• Feb 24: Pakistan A, 50-over match, DSC Stadium, Dubai
• Feb 26: Pakistan A, 50-over match, DSC Stadium, Dubai