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The allrounder also heaped praise on Jhulan Goswami, calling her a “really, really tricky” proposition with the new ball

Annesha Ghosh15-Mar-2022Ellyse Perry has said Australia would be wary of the form Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur are expected to carry into what she believes would be a “great clash” on Saturday. Both Mandhana and Harmanpreet struck centuries in India’s last game, but before taking on Australia, India will face England first on Wednesday.”We are constantly aware of the power in the Indian batting line-up,” Perry said after Australia’s seven-wicket win over West Indies in Wellington. “Smriti and Harman are two of the most dangerous batters certainly. Both played Big Bash over the summer in Australia and were very, very good there. I think they both scored hundreds in that tournament; if not, they got very close. I know Smriti did.”Related

• Mandhana has 'no explanation' for batters' inconsistency, but expects 'perfect game' against Australia

• India taking inspiration for Australia contest from 2021 tour Down Under, not 2017 World Cup semi

• Anya Shrubsole credits fielders as England's World Cup campaign stirs at last

• 'Just one big knock away' – Jhulan Goswami backs Mithali Raj, and India's batting, to come good

• Perry, Gardner, Haynes brush aside West Indies to keep Australia unbeaten

Both Perry and Australia have been on a roll at this World Cup. Perry picked up her second successive Player-of-the-Match award while Australia registered their fourth win in as many games at this World Cup. But as they gear up for their next outing, against India, who rode on Harmanpreet’s 171 not out to beat them in the 2017 World Cup semi-final, Perry said her side is aware of the competition they might face.”We have played a lot against one another lately, so it gives us a really great chance to prepare,” Perry said. “It’s a very strong batting line-up and I’ve only mentioned two names [Mandhana and Harmanpreet] there. It’s going to be a great challenge for us. I think it has come really at the right time. And I think both teams are in a really good spot. So it should be a great clash.”Australia had narrowly beaten India 2-1 in the three-match ODI leg of the multi-format series at home last year. India ran them close in the second ODI, which ended in a frantic final-ball heartbreak for the visitors, before ending Australia’s world-record streak of 26 successive wins in the format. In both matches, Jhulan Goswami, who became the highest wicket-taker in women’s ODI World Cups last week, played a dominant hand.Perry, whom Goswami described in a recent Cricket Monthly interview as the best pace-bowling allrounder she has ever seen, heaped praise on the India seamer and called her a “really, really tricky” proposition with the new ball.”Not just myself but our entire team has a tremendous level of respect for Jhulan for what she’s done for the game, not just for the Indian team, but the whole of women’s cricket globally – it’s just unbelievable,” Perry said. “I certainly admire her longevity as well and just how successful she has been over such a long period of time. She’s such a talisman for the Indian team.”She’s an absolute bedrock with that new ball and really, really tricky to get away. So, when you sort of have the wonderful opportunity to play against a player like that for such a long period of time, it’s hard not to just have a lot of admiration for them. It’s always nice to see Jhulan – she’s so kind and bubbly off the field and always willing to say ‘G’day’ and have a chat.”While the relative familiarity between the two teams is likely to bring several match-ups into play, a somewhat unknown element faces both teams: the venue, Eden Park in Auckland.”The dimensions of Auckland are quite unique,” Perry said. “I think it’s also a drop-in wicket, so it might be quite different to the conditions that we’ve faced here [in Wellington]. But I suppose we’ve sort of moved around a little bit already in this tournament and we’ve been pretty good at adapting pretty quickly.”We obviously have played India a lot recently and know kind of what we’re going to come up against with them. So there’ll be a few other things once we get there that we’ll talk about. But in general, we’re sort of going okay with that and conditions won’t play too much of a role.”

They will undergo two more tests on days 6 and 12 of their two-week quarantine in Christchurch

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Nov-2020All members of West Indies’ touring party in New Zealand have cleared the first of their three Covid-19 tests. Following this test, which was conducted three days after their arrival on October 30, the West Indies contingent will undergo two more – on days 6 and 12 of their two-week quarantine at the New Zealand high-performance centre at Lincoln University in Christchurch.Having returned negative results in their first test, the players and staff will no longer be required to stay in isolation in their respective rooms. They will be allowed to train, gym and socialise within three bubbles comprising a maximum of 15 members each from days 4 to 7. From days 8 to 14 of their quarantine, the West Indies camp can split into two bubbles comprising a maximum of 20 members each.Seven members of West Indies’ 35-strong playing contingent – T20I captain Kieron Pollard, Test captain Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran and Oshane Thomas – will only arrive in New Zealand after the conclusion of the IPL, which ends on November 10 in the UAE.These seven players – of whom six are part of the T20I squad – will only end their quarantine on the eve of the first T20I in Auckland, which is to take place on November 27. West Indies will play three T20Is in all, followed by two Test matches in Hamilton (December 3-7) and Wellington (December 11-15).West Indies are the only international team to have embarked on two overseas tours since the worldwide pause in global cricket brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Before this tour of New Zealand, they played three Tests in England in July.

The Scotland captain has been recognised for services to cricket where he has achieved some notable milestones

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jun-2019Scotland captain Kyle Coetzer has been awarded an MBE for services to cricket in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.Coetzer, 35, has played 52 ODIs and 48 T20Is alongside scoring 4404 runs in his first-class career and more than 5000 in List A cricket. He is Scotland’s all-time leading run-scorer and made their first World Cup century, against Bangladesh, in 2015.He led the team to their historic ODI victory over England in Edinburgh last year.”It’s very special and a huge honour to be awarded an MBE,” he said. “It’s not something you ever consider, and it was a huge shock to hear the news. A special thank you to my family, friends and colleagues who have played a huge part in supporting me in my cricketing journey.”Huge credit must also go to all my amazing team-mates, coaches and back room staff who have helped guide and shape me towards this special award. I couldn’t have done it without every one of you.”Tony Brian, the chairman of Cricket Scotland, said: “This is a richly deserved award for one of Scotland’s best and most iconic cricketers in the 250 years of the sport.”Kyle has been an inspirational player and captain who has led the men’s team through its most successful period ever including the never to be forgotten win against England in June 2018.”

England’s head coach has hinted that the batting line-up is unlikely to change much for the series against Pakistan in May, despite few of the issues being resolved over the winter

Andrew McGlashan04-Apr-2018Head coach Trevor Bayliss has hinted that the England batting line-up is unlikely to change much for the series against Pakistan in May, despite few of the issues being resolved over the last five months, but he called on domestic players to show they are better than those currently in the team.Bayliss conceded that England ended their 2017-18 Test campaign with largely the same questions as they began with following five defeats and two draws having been foiled by New Zealand’s lower-order on the final day in Christchurch.Over the seven Tests against Australia and New Zealand, Dawid Malan was the one batsman to enhance his reputation. Mark Stoneman and James Vince showed moments of encouragement but the pair finished averaging 30.23 and 30.54 respectively across all the Tests. Vince missed the Auckland Test when the line-up was reshuffled due to Ben Stokes being unable to bowl and returned with 76 in the second innings in Christchurch while Stoneman scored half-centuries in each Test.

Bayliss on…

Jack Leach “He’s the one who holds the position at this stage and I thought he had a good game for someone playing his first Test. He had good composure. Like anyone playing his first game or two, he’s still got a few things to learn at this level but I think he bowled a good line and didn’t give too much away which was a good thing.”
The batting order “We have tried Jonny up the list previously and I think he’s quite comfortable at No. 7 but he’s obviously a very good player. I think that will be revisited especially if some of the other guys don’t cement a spot and start averaging 45-plus for the batters.”
Catching “We’ve got to work harder. If what we’re doing is not working we’ve got to do it even more. We’ve tried to up the catching and fielding and at times we field and catch extremely well, as good as anyone, but it doesn’t mean you’re a good fielder if you’re inconsistent.”

“I think what they’ve all shown over this winter is that they are good players and they’ve scored some runs against quality opposition bowlers,” Bayliss said. “But what we need from them is to be doing it more often. They’re averaging high 20s, we need them to get that up and hopefully put another 20 on that.”Probably the same questions are still there but Malan for example played pretty well against the pace in Australia and the other two guys at different times stood up. Vince made a couple of good scores. Stoneman under a fair bit of pressure and a barrage of short-pitched bowling handled himself reasonably well but again to be an international batter we need to be doing better than that.”And the other side of that is who do we replace them with? We need guys and I guess this is a call-out to the guys in county cricket, the first five or six matches of the county season are very important. We’ve got Liam Livingstone here and the other one I’ll add in who’s impressed in the nets is Ben Foakes. He’s batting very well also. So there’s a couple of guys in this squad who can hopefully score runs and put a bit of pressure on and make the selectors job difficult which is what we all want.”The batting was not helped by Alastair Cook’s lean time, other than his double-century in Melbourne, which was compounded by a miserable series in New Zealand where he made 23 runs in four innings. Cook has reiterated to Bayliss that he has the desire to continue to add to his 154-cap career and after a couple of weeks off he will look to recuperate in the County Championship for Essex.”It’s dangerous to write off someone with 12,000 Test runs. He’s desperately disappointed he hasn’t contributed more but speaking to him in the sheds, he’s still got a hunger for the game and he’s still wants to do well and thinks he’s got a role to play,” Bayliss said. “Going forward I think having someone with that experience we will need, so hopefully it’s not too long before he gets back into the groove.”Then there is the captain. Root is England’s best batsman but can’t break his run of unconverted half-centuries, which now stands at nine, with two more in New Zealand added to the five in Australia (although retiring ill in Sydney can’t be held against him). Having come off a distinct second best to Steven Smith in the Ashes it was a slightly closer tussle with Kane Williamson as the New Zealand captain followed his Auckland century with a lean Test in Christchurch. Coming up for Root later this year is the head-to-head with Virat Kohli.Bayliss remains largely phlegmatic about Root’s conversion rate and would like to see the rest of the batting order take some pressure off the captain. There were just four centuries scored across the seven Tests in Australia and New Zealand, two by Jonny Bairstow and one apiece for Cook and Malan.”I’m sure he would have liked a few more runs himself but there’s a fair bit of pressure on him to be the one who scores the runs and we need a few more runs from some of the other guys,” Bayliss said. “I think that would take a little bit of the pressure off Joe. But he’s a guy who sets himself very high standards so I’m sure he’d be a little bit disappointed he hasn’t turned some of the starts into big hundreds.”

Steven Smith and Shaun Marsh began Australia’s tour of India with brisk centuries on the first day of their warm-up game against India A in Mumbai

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2017
ScorecardSteven Smith and Shaun Marsh struck boundary-laden centuries on the first day of Australia’s warm-up game against India A at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Smith and Marsh, at Nos. 3 and 4 respectively, both retired out soon after reaching their hundreds and the Australians went to stumps at 327 for 5.After India A chose to field, David Warner began in sprightly fashion, hitting four fours in his 25 before he was caught behind off 25-year old seamer Navdeep Saini. Matt Renshaw was more sedate: making a 11 off 41 balls. Subsequently, Smith and Marsh added 156 together to carry the Australians along in the middle session. Smith made 107 with 12 fours and a six, while Marsh made 104 with 11 fours and a six.Peter Handscomb, at No. 5, got in some useful batting time too, playing 70 deliveries for his 45. Mitchell Marsh and Matthew Wade were unbeaten at the close of play on 16 and 7 respectively.”Everyone got a bit out of it today, which was great,” Marsh told reporters at stumps. “As individuals and as a team, it always gives you a bit of confidence when you have a good day in a warm-up game. Smithy batted really well, and all the other batters got a bit out of it as well. So, it was a good day. Hopefully we can continue that over the next couple of days and make sure we’re ready to go [for the Test against India] next week.”The pitch and conditions were relatively tame for Marsh’s maiden first-class game in India. “It nibbled a bit early, it was a bit damp. But as the day went on, it was quite nice to bat and spend some time out there against the quicks and the spinners.” But he knew that could change quite quickly.”I haven’t played Test cricket over here yet. But they’ll take spin, like Sri Lanka did the last year,” Marsh said. “So we know what wickets we’re going to get. It’s just about being ready for it and players having a really strong game plan and sticking to it. Just challenging each other, it’s going to be good fun.”

Stuart Broad may have risen to No. 1 in the Test rankings but he insists he is neither the best bowler in the world nor even this England side

George Dobell18-Jan-2016Stuart Broad may have risen to No. 1 in the Test rankings but he insists he is neither the best bowler in the world nor even this England side.Broad – the first England bowler to reach No. 1 in the rankings since Steve Harmison in 2004 – believes that Dale Steyn is “the bowler of our generation” and that James Anderson is “the best bowler England have ever had”. Steyn is currently placed at No. 3 in the Test rankings, with Anderson at No. 5.But Broad’s spell in Johannesburg did reiterate the point that, given any help from the conditions, he can be devastating. With his sustained fitness – for which he credits the England support staff – appearing to help him contribute such spells more often, he has formed a potent partnership with Anderson. It bodes well for England that both are in the top five.”I’m not going to walk away from this week thinking I’m a better bowler than Dale Steyn or Jimmy Anderson because that is not the case,” Broad said. “But it is a nice feeling to have reached this mark through my performances.

‘My dad was a fighter’

Stuart Broad feels his father, Chris, would have flourished in the current England environment.
Chris Broad was a good enough player to represent England in 25 Tests, equalling the record of Jack Hobbs and Wally Hammond by scoring centuries in three successive Ashes Tests in 1986-87, averaging 39.54 in all and reaching a high point of No. 10 in the rankings.
But Stuart Broad feels he could have achieved even more in a more benevolent dressing room and with more continuity of selection.
“Reaching No. 10 is not a bad effort considering he only played 25 Tests,” he said. “I look at my dad’s career and think how suited he would have been to this environment where selectors back you and give you time.
“He had the mentality for international cricket. He was a fighter and enjoyed the battle, rising to the occasion of playing in Australia.
“If he’d played now, then he would have been backed probably a little longer and I think he would have succeeded over the long term.”

“It is not something to take for granted and it is a very special thing to have happened. When you consider that only Ian Botham in the 1980s and Harmy in 2004 have been No. 1 as English bowlers, it is a lovely achievement.”The biggest thing is that I’ve stayed fit. You can’t take wickets on the physio bed can you? So a lot of credit has to go to the guys behind the scenes for keeping me fit and I also understand my body a bit more now. I’ve played nearly 40 Tests on the bounce now which is quite rare for a fast bowler.”It might sound odd, but I’m not the best bowler in the world. Dale Steyn is the bowler of our generation. Just have a look at his record: his wickets; his strike rate; his average. He is the best bowler in the world.”My dad always talks about Malcolm Marshall being the bowler of his generation. Well, Dale Steyn is the bowler of our generation.”I’ve been very privileged to play with Jimmy Anderson for a long time and he is certainly the best bowler England have ever had in my view. I didn’t see Fred Trueman and didn’t watch much of Ian Botham live, so you have to judge it on who you’ve seen bowl.”While Broad is flattered by the “very special” achievement, he sees it not as an end in itself but as a marker on England’s road of progress. Whatever happens in Centurion, they will rise no higher than No. 5 in the rankings at the end of this series. The aim, clearly, is to reach No. 1 but with a desperately tough series looming in India at the end of the year, Broad knows that ambition is still some way off fulfilment.”This is not the end goal and it doesn’t feel like the biggest thing right now because there is so much more going on with the team,” he said. “I’m not being aloof or disrespectful, but there is such a determination in the side to get this team to No. 1.”In saying that, when Trevor took over he did say that the only way to get the team to No. 1 is for individual players to start climbing the rankings. And we’ve had Rooty at No. 1 as a batsman, Jimmy and I have consistently been in the top five or six for a while and Stokesy is climbing high in the allrounders.”There is such a goal for this team to become the best, and we know it is still a way off just now, but give this team another year’s experience and then it really becomes an exciting time.”It may well not be a coincidence that Broad has risen through the rankings since he was dropped from England’s white-ball teams. By the end of the 2014 England season, he was rated No. 8 in the world but, after a disappointing World Cup early in 2015, he was dropped from the limited-overs squads and as, as a consequence, has played red-ball cricket almost exclusively. As well as potentially helping with his fitness, that decision has enabled him to concentrate on maintaining the fuller length that has been a key ingredient in his improvement.He retains hopes, however, of winning back his place in both the ODI and T20 sides and has ambitions to play in the 2019 World Cup in England. Indeed, he had thought that, with Steven Finn out of the rest of this tour, it was possible he could return to the limited-overs squad as his replacement; Liam Plunkett was called up instead.”I’m desperate to play white-ball cricket again for England,” he said. “You have a short career and I’m not going to play until I’m 37 or 38, so I want to play as much cricket as I possibly can.”My consistency has got better with the red ball probably through playing more exclusively red-ball cricket. But I don’t think the fitness thing is a direct correlation because I’ve taken the most Test wickets since 2011 and I’ve played white ball cricket through that, but I am as fit as I’ve ever been now.”I’m as fresh as I’ve ever been, the knee surgery was the best decision I’ve ever made, and I’m loving my cricket.”Yes, I do want to play in the ODIs. Absolutely. I haven’t had any conversations about it. I’m happy for the selectors to do their thing, but I’ll probably speak about it at some point.”There is a lot of important white-ball cricket coming England’s way with the World T20, the Champions Trophy and then the 2019 World Cup. I want to be involved.”The dream of mine is to play in that World Cup and win it at home. That would be epic.”It is still a long way away, but playing ODIs in England is important for that. I’m just looking to improve and I know I can make improvements in white-ball cricket, but I can also change games if given the chance.”

The first two ODIs between West Indies and Pakistan will see international cricket return to Guyana, after the West Indies Cricket Board announced the schedule for Pakistan’s tour in July

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jun-2013Guyana, St Lucia and St Vincent and Grenadines will host the five ODIs and two Twenty20 Internationals between West Indies and Pakistan in July, according to the schedule released by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) on Thursday.Pakistan will play the first two ODIs in Guyana on July 14 and 16, and the remaining ODIs will be played in St Lucia on July 19, 21 and 24. The two T20Is will be played at the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground in St Vincent on July 27 and 28. The visitors will also play a 50-over warm-up game in Guyana before the start of the series.Pakistan were originally scheduled to play two Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20s in the Caribbean in June and July, but West Indies planned a tri-series involving India and Sri Lanka, which shortened the window. The WICB had asked the PCB if their tour could be rescheduled to August. That, however, interfered with Pakistan’s plan to host India and to play out the Zimbabwe series that was postponed in 2012.Guyana will host an international match after a year’s gap. The Guyana National Stadium last hosted an ODI in 2011 between West Indies and Pakistan. Administrative disputes between the WICB, the Guyana Cricket Board and the Guyanese government had resulted in a Test against Australia in 2012 being shifted to another venue.

For the second time in two matches, there was very little separating India and Pakistan’s Under-19 teams, as they tied the final of the Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jul-2012
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsUnmukt Chand’s 121 was not quite enough for India Under-19s•Associated Press

For the second time in two matches, there was very little separating India and Pakistan’s Under-19 teams, as they tied the final of the Asia Cup in Kuala Lumpur in dramatic fashion. Pakistan opener Sami Aslam scored his second hundred of the series to carry his team to 282, before India captain Unmukt Chand did the same for his side. But both centuries went in vain, with neither team claiming the trophy.Pakistan did well to achieve the tie. India were in relative control in the chase, needing 37 in the final six overs, with seven wickets in hand and Chand batting on 101. Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz then produced two effective overs, claiming two wickets and conceding just five, to bring Pakistan back into the game. Chand was still around though and almost carried his bat, but his dismissal off the fourth ball of the final over – caught on the cover boundary off seamer Ehsan Adil – left India needing five off two deliveries. No. 8 Rush Kalaria pierced the off side for four, to bring the scores level. The final delivery, though, he could only chip gently to mid-off. Dot ball. Shared title.Like in their one-run defeat to Pakistan in the group match, India chose to field. And once again, Pakistan’s innings was built around Aslam. India managed to keep the scoring in check early in the innings, but a 100-run stand at over a run a ball between Umar Waheed and Sami Aslam for the third wicket put Pakistan on course for a sizeable total.Pakistan had launched the final assault, scoring 49 from overs 41 to 45, when Kalaria removed Saad Ali and Aslam off consecutive balls. He took three more wickets, and Pakistan managed only 30 for 5 in the final five.India’s reply revolved around a 175-run stand for the second wicket between Chand and B Aparajith. Aparajith fell 10 short of a hundred, Nawaz’s first victim of the game. Apart from these two, none of the other India batsmen managed to go past 23, as the lower-middle order let the game slip from their grasp.Aslam’s century came after scores 82 not out, 121, 47 and 77, and he, expectedly, won the Player of the Series and best batsman awards. Sri Lanka offspinner Tharindu Kaushal, who picked up 12 wickets in four games, was named the best bowler of the tournament.

Luke Sutton, the Derbyshire captain, has said that player power was the reason why coach John Morris and his assistant, Andy Brown, were told they were no longer wanted by the club

ESPNcricinfo staff16-May-2011Luke Sutton, the Derbyshire captain, has said that player power was the reason why coach John Morris and his assistant, Andy Brown, were told they were no longer wanted by the club.Morris and Brown were released from the contracts on Wednesday, midway through Derbyshire’s drawn Championship game with Essex. Club chairman Chris Grant canvassed each member of the first-team squad to find out the feeling within the playing staff and the coaching pair were subsequently released.”The fact that the reason for him [Morris] not having his contract extended was to do with the dressing room does make it untenable for him to continue,” Sutton told BBC Sport.”We were consulted individually because it was a big decision for the committee and the new chairman to make. In my opinion, that was the right thing to do. I think it’s fair to say the dressing room put their point across to the new chairman and that was reflected in the decision.”I only know what I said to the chairman. I was the last player to speak to him, so my conversations with the chairman were not only my feelings, we were also discussing the collective feelings he had gathered together. In truth, I was pretty sure I knew what the reaction would have been. I think you would have to say it was overwhelmingly negative.”The players feel a responsibility to make it clear to everyone where we stood because we have a brand new chairman who has made a very big decision and will take some flak for it and a large part of that responsibility is down to the dressing room.”I think it’s important that is expressed because I don’t want to just leave our new chairman hanging there to take the flak with the committee. The easier decision for the chairman was to extend his contract. What he has done is make a very tough decision very early on in his chairmanship.”Derbyshire are not looking for a replacement for Morris or Brown as yet, with Sutton, academy director Karl Krikken, bowling coach Steffan Jones and committee man Tony Borrington, a former Derbyshire player, filling the roles of Morris and Brown at least until the end of the season.Sutton, who returned to Derbyshire during the off-season after a spell at Lancashire, admitted that the events will affect the players but is hopeful that in the long term the best outcome has been found.”This has been a shock for everyone but it is very difficult for the guys in the dressing room because they know they are involved in something that people will talk about and that’s quite a destabilising thing,” he said.”I think we will be absolutely fine. It will take time to bed down a little because events have moved very quickly. It is very emotional, very raw, but we have got a very honest group of players and some good people at the club. The players have got a responsibility now to get on with it and we will. I can honestly say our spirit is outstanding and that won’t get less, it will strengthen.”

Alastair Cook will captain a 12-man England Lions squad in a triangular one-day series against A sides from India and West Indies between June 28 and July 8

Cricinfo staff21-Jun-2010While the national one-day side wages a pre-Ashes battle against Australia, Alastair Cook will captain a 12-man England Lions squad in a triangular one-day series against A sides from India and West Indies between June 28 and July 8. The side is a strong one, featuring seven England-capped players including Jonathan Trott, Ravi Bopara, Sajid Mahmood and Liam Plunkett.The rest of the squad, apart from Darren Stevens, have featured in Lions line-ups in the past. His call-up comes after a prosperous start to the county season with Kent, for whom he is currently leading run-scorer in the county championship with 774 runs at 70.36, including four hundreds, and in the Friends Provident t20 competition, with 212 runs in seven innings at a strike-rate of 142.28. He has also scored at a rate of 111.84 in the CB40 League, and taken 17 wickets so far across the three formats.”This is well deserved for Darren because he is a quality player,” said Robert Key, Stevens’ captain at Kent. “Hopefully a place in the Lions squad will be a quick stepping stone for him because I feel he deserves to be in the full England side.””We are pleased to welcome Darren Stevens to the squad who has been rewarded for his impressive form with Kent this season,” said National Selector Geoff Miller. “This triangular series presents the England Lions squad with an excellent opportunity to demonstrate their abilities in the one-day format and challenge for a place in the senior side.”Alastair Cook will have an opportunity to gain further experience as captain after successful spells as captain with both England and England Lions and he will lead a side that includes six of the squad members involved in the one-day series against Pakistan A in February.”With England facing a busy summer schedule and the county season in full swing, Miller also suggested that there was the possibility of squad members maintaining their county commitments, and of national players in need of some time in the middle coming in to the side.”We have selected a strong squad for what will be a challenging series. There is scope for non-playing Lions squad members to return to their counties for fixtures when appropriate and we will also consider using non-playing members of the England one-day squad throughout the Lions series to give them match practice.”England Lions squad: Alastair Cook (capt), Ravi Bopara, Steven Davies (wk), Andrew Gale, Sajid Mahmood, Liam Plunkett, Darren Stevens, James Taylor, James Tredwell, Peter Trego, Jonathan Trott, Chris Woakes