Jofra Archer’s recovery from a long-term injury will advance next month when he joins the England Lions for their training camp in the United Arab Emirates.
The fast bowler has not played since July 2021 and missed the English summer with a stress fracture of his lower back, as well as a chronic elbow problem.
Archer will travel for training with bowlers Saqib Mahmood and Brydon Carse, who are also recovering from injuries, and five members of the Test team who are not participating in the T20 World Cup: Jimmy Anderson, Jamie Overton, Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach, and Will Jacks.
Rehan Ahmed, a leg-spinner from Leicestershire who is 18 years old, has been included in the 15-man team that will travel to the United Arab Emirates on 6 November, before facing the senior England side in a three-day encounter that serves as a warm-up for the Test series in Pakistan.
Ahmed has been pushed for international recognition and concluded the county season against Derbyshire with a maiden five-for and maiden century. This summer, he scored for England’s limited-overs team at Old Trafford, where he trained with Adil Rashid.
Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Matthew Potts, and Matthew Fisher, who have all played Test cricket in 2022, are all members of the Lions squad. When the two teams meet between November 23-25, Potts will have the opportunity to prove that his omission from the Test squad was unjustified. He made a highly impressive start to his England career, claiming 20 wickets in just five matches.
Fisher, who made his Test debut in March in Barbados, has much to prove after missing most of the season with a stress fracture.
Hameed and Lawrence take their positions among the batters, with the former having been released following a humiliating Ashes series last winter and the latter not having been seen since Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes assumed control of the red-ball team.
Tom Abell, captain of Somerset, and Josh Bohannon, batsman for Lancashire, are two of the more experienced domestic performers on the uncapped Lions list. Sam Cook, paceman for Essex, is recognized for his steady quality across all formats.
The inclusion of Jack Carson and Liam Patterson-White as spinners appears to be bad news for Dom Bess and Matt Parkinson, whose stock appears to have declined. The group consists of Sam Conners, Tom Haines, Jack Haynes, Lyndon James, and Jamie Smith.
Mo Bobat, director of performance for the ECB, stated, “It’s excellent to be able to resume Lions developing experiences, and the camp in Dubai and Abu Dhabi is a fantastic chance for a group of players with significant potential.
“The selection for the camp was made in close coordination with both the players and the counties, and several players have been encouraged and supported to pursue additional chances at home and abroad. The camp also helps the England Men’s team prepare for Pakistan, allowing England and Lions players to train closely together in foreign conditions.”
