Kohler-Cadmore hoping to impress England with Lions in Abu Dhabi

TOM KOHLER-CADMORE is relishing the opportunity to put his name in the frame for full England selection.

The Yorkshire batsman is part of the England Lions squad that will take on Pakistan A in a fourday match in Abu Dhabi starting on Sunday.

Kohler-Cadmore, 24, is also part of the limited-overs squad that will contest five 50-over and two T20 games against the same opponents.

It is just reward for a man who was Yorkshire’s leading runscorer in last summer’s OneDay Cup and who topped their County Championship averages.

“The whole idea of these tours is to see who’s ready for England and to put your name forward,” said Kohler-Cadmore, a tall and powerful right-hand batsman.

“That’s what I’m here to do, to impress, and hopefully play in international colours at some point.

“It’s going to be a great experience for me and it’s really nice to be selected. I feel it’s a little feather in my cap.”

Kohler-Cadmore, who joined Yorkshire from Worcestershire last year on a three-year contract, played five matches for the Lions last summer in a tri-series against India A and West Indies A.

He impressed with two halfcenturies, including a top score of 80 not out in a nine-wicket victory over West Indies A in Northampton.

“I got two fifties and it went ok,” he said.

“You have to work that bit harder for your runs as you’re playing against the best players from every team and there’s no weak link.

“It’s a challenge, but I enjoy that.”

Despite his fine form for Yorkshire, which saw him average 46 in the Championship and strike impressive hundreds against Notts and Lancashire, the level-headed Kohler-Cadmore is taking nothing for granted.

Competition for spots in the full England side is so fierce at present that his Yorkshire team-mate Jonny Bairstow was overlooked for the ongoing Test match in Sri Lanka, while it is harder still to break into the white-ball team.

“You just have to keep going,” he reflected. “Cricket’s a funny game: one week you can be playing for England and the next week you can be dropped.

“It can snowball downwards as it can upwards.

“It’s just about being level and focusing on what I can do, which is score runs when I go out to bat for whichever side.

“If they don’t pick you from there, you’ve done everything you can.”