Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Trio going on Lions tour
Kent cricket
Three Kent players have been selected for England Lions’ tour to Australia which starts next month. Wicketkeeper Ollie Robinson has earned his first call-up for the Lions as part of their 15-man squad which will face Australia A, a Cricket Australia side and a New South Wales team in three four-day matches in the second-half of the tour.
It comes after a breakthrough 2019 season for 21-year-old Robinson who scored 765 championship runs. Robinson will be joined by clubmate and opener Zak Crawley who will join the Lions squad at the end of England’s Test series in South Africa. Former Kent captain Sam Northeast, now with Hampshire, has also been named in the four-day squad.
But, before the four-day games, Kent seamer Matt Milnes will be involved with England’s 16-man 50-over squad. Milnes, 25, joined Kent last September and enjoyed a productive first campaign with the club.
The 50-over squad will contest three matches against Cricket Australia and a further two against a New South Wales XI.
“We’ve selected two exciting squads for our Lions tour of Australia, where the aim is, not only to win matches, but to prepare players for international cricket,” England national selector and former Kent batsman Ed Smith said. “With this tour we’ve got England’s short-term needs in mind, with the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka and a busy summer schedule, as well as an opportunity to provide players with relevant experience for future Ashes series. Australia is a tough place to tour as an England player at any level, so it will be a great test for all involved.” The squad will leave the UK on January 21, with a captain for the tour to be announced in due course.