Adam Hose admits that it was a “very nice surprise” to receive a late call-up to the North squad for the North v South 50-over series in Barbados next month.

And the Warwickshire batsman intends to make the most of his unexpected opportunity after being called up to replace the injured Ben Duckett, joining Bears team-mate Sam Hain in the North squad for the series between March 18 and 23.

It will be good to get back to Edgbaston and see the guys and I’ll hopefully get in some practice in the marquee but then it’s Barbados and I just want to make the absolute most of the opportunity.

Adam Hose

Hose has spent the winter in Adelaide, playing grade cricket for Kensington District, and is finishing off in good form having hit an unbeaten 175 in his team’s successful chase of 302 to beat Southern District last week.

The 25-year-old will return to England at the end of this month, from which point he was expecting to be at Edgbaston for the rest of pre-season. But now it will be just a pit-stop with the Bears for Hose before he heads to Barbados for a white-ball chance earned by his excellent NatWestT20Blast form for the Bears last year.

“It was a very nice surprise to get the call,” he said. “I spoke to James Whitaker, which was nice to do, and a little bit out of the blue I’ve got a really exciting opportunity.

“The North v South series is a fantastic shop-window and I am really looking forward to flying out there with Hainy and getting among some top coaches and players.

“I’ve had a really good winter in Adelaide and now this opportunity has come up too so I am very lucky. It will be good to get back to Edgbaston and see the guys and I’ll hopefully get in some practice in the marquee but then it’s Barbados and I just want to make the absolute most of the opportunity.”

The North and South teams will each play a warm-up game on March 15 before the three-match series at the Kensington Oval on March 18, 21 and 23. The Kensington Oval will also stage the MCC v Champion County match, in which the MCC team against Essex will include Hain, from March 27 to 30.

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