England U19 name squad for Caribbean tri-series, Ian Bell called in as batting coach

Lancashire’s George Balderson will captain the side, with Yorkshire’s George Hill as his vice-captain

Ian Bell has been appointed as batting coach for England U19s’ tour of the Caribbean this winter.

He is joined by Middlesex assistant coach Nic Pothas, who will act as the squad’s fielding coach, under head coach Jon Lewis.

The tour consists of a tri-series featuring both West Indies and Sri Lanka alongside Lewis’ side, with the competition forming the final major preparation period before the U19 World Cup, which takes place in South Africa in early 2020.

Lancashire’s George Balderson will captain the side, with Yorkshire’s George Hill as his vice-captain. Both were involved as England struggled on home soil during a similar tri-series against India and Bangladesh in the summer.

In the main, the squad features few alternations from that group, though Scott Currie, Sam Young and Harry Duke all come in.

Dan Mousley, Hamidullah Qadri, Joey Evison, Jack Haynes, Ben Charlesworth, Tom Clark and Jordan Cox have all represented their counties at first-team level this season, while Luke Hollman was included in Middlesex’s matchday squad against Lancashire in September.

^{Jon Lewis has called in Ian Bell and Nic Pothas}

Lewis said of the squad: “With the World Cup on the horizon, this is our last opportunity to assess our squad and decide which 15 players to take with us to South Africa.

“We've also taken this opportunity to look at some players who are relatively untested at this level and have the chance to force their way into our World Cup squad.”

Of Bell, who played 118 Tests for England, Lewis added: “Ian is one of his generation's highest run-scorers, whose knowledge and experience of playing under pressure at the highest levels, including multiple World Cups is a brilliant resource for the players to tap into and something that is not always available to them at county level.”

England U19 squad for tour of the Caribbean

George Balderson (Lancashire), Kasey Aldridge (Somerset), Ben Charlesworth (Gloucestershire), Tom Clark (Sussex), Jordan Cox (Kent), Blake Cullen (Middlesex), Scott Currie (Hampshire), Harry Duke (Yorkshire), Joey Evison (Nottinghamshire), Lewis Goldsworthy (Somerset), Jack Haynes (Worcestershire), George Hill (Yorkshire), Luke Hollman (Middlesex), Dan Mousley (Warwickshire), Hamidullah Qadri (Kent), Sam Young (Somerset)