Three Warwickshire players have been selected in the England Under 19s squad to face India in red and white-ball cricket later this summer.
Opening batsman Liam Banks and fast bowlers Henry Brookes and George Panayi are all in the squad for the two four-day matches against the tourists while Banks and Brookes will also feature in the five-match one-day series
If all three are selected in the same 11, it will be the first time that three Bears together have represented England U19s .
It’s very pleasing to see this sort of recognition as a club because these are the sort of guys that we will be building Warwickshire’s team around in the coming years .
Ashley Giles
And Warwickshire sport director Ashley Giles believes their call-up is a great opportunity for them as individuals – and also very encouraging proof that the club’s academy is producing.
“I’m delighted for the three lads,” Giles said. “They are cricketers with a lot promise and for them to be selected for the national Under 19s team is great for them and also for Warwickshire. It shows the quality we have got coming through the system here.
“This will be another good test for them. It will be a different environment with different pressures and they will learn a lot from it.
“They are all well-placed to go in there and really seize the opportunity. George has had a taste of first-team cricket this season and done really well, Liam is in good nick and we all know what he can do and Henry had a really good winter with England U19s.
“It’s very pleasing to see this sort of recognition as a club because these are the sort of guys that we will be building Warwickshire’s team around in the coming years – home-grown players, along with the right recruitment from elsewhere.”
Andy Hurry, head coach of the Young Lions programme, said: “We had an excellent tour of India earlier this year, when the lads involved learned so much both in red-ball and white-ball cricket. Facing the Indians in a return series this summer provides an excellent opportunity to build on that, and to face international opposition in more familiar home conditions.”
England will play a two-day warm-up match against a Unicorns XI in Loughborough on July 19-20 before the “Tests” at Queen’s Park in Chesterfield from July 23-26, then New Road in Worcester from July 31 to August 3.
The Royal London One-Day Series starts at the SSE SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff on Monday August 7, which is followed by a day-night match at the Spitfire Ground St Lawrence in Canterbury on Wednesday August 9 to be shown live on Sky Sports.
The series continues at the 1st Central County Ground in Hove on Saturday August 12, with match four at the Brightside Ground, Bristol on Monday August 14, and concludes on Wednesday August 16 at the Coopers Associates County Ground in Taunton.
