Five players to look out for in the England Young Lions squad

The England U19s fly out to India on Saturday for a training camp in Bangalore ahead of their series against Bangladesh U19s, and The Cricketer has picked five players to look out for from their squad...

Ben Charlesworth

Making your first-class debut at the age of 17 is something not a lot of players do. Scoring two first-class half-centuries before you turn 18 is also something not a lot of players do. However, Gloucestershire's Ben Charlesworth has done just that.

He was the first player to score a half-century for the county at that age for more than 70 years when he made an unbeaten 77 against Middlesex, a match in which he also took 3-25. He repeated the feat in their next game against Glamorgan too, scoring 72. He is definitely one to watch for the future.

^{Ben Charlesworth scored two half-centuries for Gloucestershire in 2018}

Jamie Smith

Making your debut is always a nerve-wracking occasion. It is the first opportunity you get to show to everyone what you can do on a cricket pitch, and there can be few places more intimidating to do it at than Lord's - something a then 17-year-old Jamie Smith did during the 2018 Vitality Blast when Surrey played Middlesex.

He made 7 not out as Surrey were beaten by three wickets, and the wicketkeeper also featured in their next game against Kent. With Ben Foakes looking likely to have England commitments for the foreseeable future, Smith could see himself getting the chance to play a first-class game next season.

Hamidullah Qadri

Originally from Afghanistan, Qadri became the youngest player to ever represent Derbyshire in a first-class match and the first county cricketer born in the 21st century when they played Glamorgan in June 2017. The off-spinner did not do too badly either, taking 5-60 in the fourth innings as Derbyshire won their first championship match in almost two years.

He continued his growth in 2018, finishing the County Championship season with eight wickets from four matches.

^{Hamidullah Qadri took 5-60 on debut for Derbyshire}

Will Smeed

Smeed came to attention in 2018 when he scored a century for Somerset second XI against Sussex at just 16. Along the way, he shared a partnership of 92 with Marcus Trescothick - who actually made his Test debut before Smeed was born.

A half-century against the Hampshire Second XI followed a few games later, and gf he continues to score those sorts of runs, then a competitive debut for Somerset first XI could come sooner than he probably ever imagined.

Tom Lammonby

The Somerset allrounder made big strides playing for the county's second XI, and also for Devon in the Minor Counties Championship in 2018. He scored his maiden century for the Somerset second XI against The Unicorns in the Second XI Trophy, and also scored a half-century in the final against Middlesex.

His form for Devon has also been very impressive as he became only the fourth Devon player ever to score a century in both innings of a Minor Counties Championship match when he peeled off two against Wales in June. Those runs saw him rewarded with the England U19s captaincy when they played South Africa in July 2018.

^{Tom Lammonby scored a half-century in the Second XI Trophy final}

The full squad is:

Kasey Aldridge (Somerset)
George Balderson (Lancashire)
Ben Charlesworth (Gloucestershire)
Jordan Cox (Kent)
Tom Davis (Kent)
Adam Finch (Worcestershire)
Lewis Goldsworthy (Somerset)
Jack Haynes (Worcestershire)
George Hill (Yorkshire)
Luke Hollman (Middlesex)
Nick Kimber (Nottinghamshire)
Tom Lammonby (Somerset)
Dominic Leech (Yorkshire)
Jack Morley (Lancashire)
Dan Mousley (Warwickshire)
Hamidullah Qadri (Derbyshire)
Will Smeed (Somerset)
Jamie Smith (Surrey)