CHARGE OF THE LIONS BRIGADE
Robinson leads the flock of new faces
ENGLAND have called on 14 uncapped players to help them cover all bases in a whopping 55-man group that will start preparing for their international summer.
With the West Indies, Pakistan and Ireland all set to arrive in the UK for international cricket this summer, the enlarged group allows for enough flexibility to be able to stage warm-ups and play both red and white-ball fixtures at the same time if need be.
There is no room for World Cup-winning bowler Liam Plunkett, drawing a line under his international career, while Essex’s Jamie Porter has gone from an England Test squad in 2018 to the wilderness despite winning a second county championship in three years last summer.
Alex Hales, who was dropped from the World Cup squad last year when news broke of two failed drugs tests, is nowhere to be seen.
Not surprisingly players from the England Lions squad who were victorious against Australia A Down
Under in February feature heavily, with
Sussex fast bowler
Ollie Robinson ready to take the next step in international cricket.
He and other Lions Sam Hain, Henry Brookes and Dan Lawrence will initially be taking part in individual training sessions at their nearest available venue, before moving into small groups as government restrictions allow.
Robinson said: “It’s great to be named among the group and eventually be able to work with guys who have been at that high level for longer than others. I can learn a lot from that.
“Watching Jimmy Anderson at a training camp in South Africa over the winter, here’s a guy who has been at the top for so long and he still works harder than anyone. No matter how long you’ve played for, your work is never done and you’re never the finished article.
“Getting into this training group lets people like me know we may be a bit closer than we thought.
“It has been a frustrating time since I got back from Australia. I was raring to go into the English summer, ready to show everyone I could do it again for Sussex and push my name forward. I worked very hard all winter.”