England Test skipper Ben Stokes is currently nursing an injury which he picked up in the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney.
England red-ball skipper Ben Stokes and former all-rounder Moeen Ali are set to join the coaching staff for England Lions’ tour to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to play against the Pakistan Shaheens. This tour will mark the commencement of white-ball cricket into the England Lions programme after a brief pause of three years.
The Three Lions have largely relied on County competitions to pick their talent for the white-ball cricket competitions, but this tour indicates a change in the process. England’s domestic cricket infrastructure is hailed as one of the best in the cricketing world.
Ben Stokes, who is currently nursing a groin injury which he picked up in the fifth and final Ashes Test in Sydney this year, will be looking at this tour as rehabilitation. Though he has already worked with Andrew Flintoff in a coaching role in The Hundred, this tour will bring them together once more.
The coaching staff for the England Lions also includes Neil McKenzie, Sarah Taylor, Neil Killeen, Amar Rashid and Troy Cooley – who will now be accompanied by Stokes and Moeen Ali.
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The tour comprises five 50-over fixtures and three matches in the shortest format of the game. Jordon Cox has been named as the skipper of the side, with some notable inclusions from the domestic circuit. The likes of James Coles, Nathan Sowter and Tom Moores will feature in the setup.
T20 squad: Sonny Baker, Luc Benkenstein, James Coles, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox (capt), Scott Currie, Calvin Harrison, Eddie Jack, Saqib Mahmood, Ben McKinney, Tom Moores, Dan Mousley, Matt Revis, Will Smeed, Nathan Sowter, Mitchell Stanley, Asa Tribe.
50-over squad: Sonny Baker, Luc Benkenstein, James Coles, Sam Cook, Jordan Cox, Scott Currie, Calvin Harrison, Eddie Jack, Ben McKinney, Dan Mousley (capt), Liam Patterson-White, Matthew Potts, Matt Revis, James Rew, Mitchell Stanley, Asa Tribe, James Wharton.
| Fixture | Date | Venue |
| 1st T20 | February 20 | Abu Dhabi |
| 2nd T20 | February 22 | Abu Dhabi |
| 3rd T20 | February 24 | Abu Dhabi |
| 1st One-Dayer | February 27 | Abu Dhabi |
| 2nd One-Dayer | March 1 | Abu Dhabi |
| 3rd One-Dayer | March 4 | Abu Dhabi |
| 4th One-Dayer | March 6 | Abu Dhabi |
| 5th One-Dayer | March 9 | Abu Dhabi |
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