England selectors today announced a 16-man England Lions squad for the forthcoming tour of Bangladesh beginning in January which includes Yorkshire youngsters Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root..

Nottinghamshire batsman James Taylor will lead the squad during the tour which consists of a five match one day series against Bangladesh A followed by a two match Twenty20 series also against Bangladesh A.

All 16 members of the Lions squad were selected on the England Performance Programme in October and have spent the first part of the winter training at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough and are currently training in India and South Africa.

ECB Performance Director David Parsons said: “We have selected a young squad for this tour which is in line with our strategy of looking ahead to the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup and identifying and working with players who may be able to go on and play a role for England in the future. These players have worked extremely hard over the last couple of months with a strong focus on limited overs cricket. This tour presents a good opportunity for these players to continue to develop their skills in subcontinent conditions on what will no doubt be a challenging tour of Bangladesh as well as push for selection for future England squads.”

Good luck to both Jonny and Joe who are enjoying busy winters!

JAMES BUTTLER

England Lions squad

James Taylor (Nottinghamshire) (Captain), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Scott Borthwick (Durham), Danny Briggs (Hampshire), Jack Brooks (Northants), Nathan Buck (Leicestershire), Jos Buttler (Somerset), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Simon Kerrigan (Lancashire), Tom Maynard (Surrey), Stuart Meaker (Surrey), Tymal Mills (Essex), Boyd Rankin (Warwickshire)*, Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey) and James Vince (Hampshire)

England Lions will then travel to Sri Lanka following the conclusion of the Bangladesh tour for a one day series against Sri Lanka A. The squad for the Sri Lanka tour will be announced in January. 

England Lion fixtures

6 Jan Practice match - Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong

8 Jan 1st 50 over match vs Bangladesh A - Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong

10 Jan 2nd 50 over match vs Bangladesh A - Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong

13 Jan 3rd 50 over match vs Bangladesh A  - Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong

16 Jan 4th 50 over match vs Bangladesh A  - Sylhet Divisional Stadium, Sylhet

18 Jan 5th 50 over match vs Bangladesh A  - Sylhet Divisional Stadium, Sylhet

21 Jan 1st T20 vs Bangladesh A - Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka

23 Jan 2nd T20 vs Bangladesh A - Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Dhaka 

*Boyd Rankin will join the England Lions squad after playing for the ICC Combined Associate and Affiliate XI against England in Dubai on 7-9 January.