England selectors today named Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root a 12-man squad for the four-day match against Sri Lanka A beginning on 2nd August in Scarborough.

(PHOTO: Joe Root has good recent memories of Scarborough after hitting an unbeaten half-century as Yorkshire beat Worcestershire)

Bairstow has also been named in a 12-man squad for the three-match one-day series against Sri Lanka A, which gets under way at Worcestershire’s New Road ground on August 12. Leicestershire’s James Taylor, 21, will captain England Lions for the first time in both series.

Root is one of five players in the 4-day squiad who have yet to play for England Lions along with Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Durham leg-spinner Scott Borthwick and pace bowlers Stuart Meaker (Surrey) and Jack Brooks (Northants).

National selector Geoff Miller said: “The England Lions series against Sri Lanka A offers an important opportunity for younger players to gain valuable experience against international opposition and push for further involvement in England programmes this winter. The series will also give players a chance to press for inclusion in the upcoming NatWest Series against India.”

England Lions four-day squad vs Sri Lanka A, Scarborough, August 2-5: James Taylor (Leicestershire, captain), Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Scott Borthwick (Durham), Jack Brooks (Northants), Jade Dernbach (Surrey), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), James Harris (Glamorgan), Craig Kieswetter (Somerset), Stuart Meaker (Surrey), Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire)

England Lions one-day squad vs Sri Lanka A, August 12, 14, 16: James Taylor (Leicestershire, captain),
Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Scott Borthwick (Durham), Danny Briggs (Hampshire), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), James Harris (Glamorgan), Stuart Meaker (Surrey), Chris Nash (Sussex), Ben Stokes (Durham), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

England Lions fixtures vs Sri Lanka A

Four-day match:
11am - Tuesday August 2, Friday August 5, Scarborough Cricket Ground.

No advance ticket sales. Pay on the gate admission prices £5 for SCC & YCCC members, £10 for non-members and FREE for under 16's.

Three-match one-day series:
10.45am - Friday August 12, New Road, Worcester
10.45am - Sunday August 14, New Road, Worcester
10.45am - Tuesday August 16, Wantage Road, Northampton