Ralphie Albert, an all-rounder from Surrey, has been appointed as captain of an 18-player squad for the England Under-19 tour of Pakistan scheduled for December. Farhan Ahmed, who represents Nottinghamshire, will serve as vice-captain.
The tour includes three Youth One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and a Test match, all of which will take place in Rawalpindi. Prior to that, the squad will participate in a 12-day training camp in Sri Lanka, running from 19th to 30th November.
Neil Killeen, a former Durham seam bowler, will act as interim head coach for the Young Lions during their winter programme. This tour is part of a series of events, including a trip to Australia next year, following Mike Yardy’s recent appointment as Elite National Batting Lead. Killeen will be joined by assistant coaches Joe Denly, Steve Mullaney, and Kyle Hogg.
“I am really looking forward to leading an exciting group of young players and coaches across their winter programme,” Killeen expressed. “This is an opportunity for these young players to experience new countries and conditions and for our coaching team to help develop their game in a world-class environment, which will only help in their journey towards international cricket.”
Highlighting Sri Lanka as an “excellent venue” for the training camp, Killeen emphasised the importance of preparing for the challenging series ahead in Pakistan.
Among the squad’s newcomers is Worcestershire’s left-arm seamer Jeet Varaich, earning his first call-up to the Young Lions. Marley Simpson and Lyke Symington will attend only the training camp in Sri Lanka, while Charlie Taylor and Manny Lumsden will join the squad in Rawalpindi and will be closely managed on tailored development programmes for fast bowlers.
England U19s Men squad includes: Ralphie Albert (capt), Farhan Ahmed, Subhaan Ali, Robbie Bowman, Tom Bradley, Thomas Edwards, Luke Hands, Theo Lamey, Manny Lumsden, Bertie Michael, Isaac Mohammad, Joe Moores, Jack Nelson, Leo Selvey-Clinton, Marley Simpson, Luke Symington, Charlie Taylor, Jeet Varaich.
Schedule:
– 19-30 November: Training Camp in Colombo, Sri Lanka
– 5 December: 1st Youth ODI, Rawalpindi
– 7 December: 2nd Youth ODI, Rawalpindi
– 9 December: 3rd Youth ODI, Rawalpindi
– 13-16 December: 1st Youth Test, Rawalpindi
