Glaring omissions in strong England Lions squad heading Down Under

One week on from the Ashes squad announcement, the England Lions have named an 18-man touring party which will also travel to Australia this winter, in part to support the Ashes preparations and also on hand to provide squad reinforcements if necessary.

A match between the two England squads in Perth starting on November 13 will serve as England’s only warm-up ahead of the first Ashes Test.

The Lions will then go on to play three further multi-day fixtures against a Cricket Australia XI, a Prime Minister’s XI and finally an Australia A side, concluding on December 8 which is also the final day of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane.

Lions Head Coach Andrew Flintoff hailed the “unbelievably talented players” in the assembled squad, as well as highlighting the exciting opportunity for the group to shadow the senior side and gain an away Ashes-like experience.

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Who has made the squad?

Some members of the group may yet see their winter in Australia extended, circumstances dependent, namely Leicestershire all-rounder Rehan Ahmed and Essex wicketkeeper-batter Jordan Cox, with the former in particular rather unfortunate to miss out on a place in the Ashes squad.

England U19 captain Thomas Rew joins his elder brother James, one of four maiden call-ups alongside Yorkshire’s Matthew Revis and the exciting Glamorgan duo Asa Tribe and Ben Kellaway – the first representation from the Welsh County in the Lions setup since 2012.

Elsewhere with the bat, there are a number of left-handed top order batters in the form of Sussex’s Tom Haines, as well as Durham pair Emilio Gay and Ben McKinney.

There is a youthful energy to the pace attack options with Hampshire’s Eddie Jack, Lancashire’s Mitchell Stanley and Surrey’s Tom Lawes all catching the eye of Flintoff in recent years.

Meanwhile, seamers Matthew Fisher and Josh Hull are also included, both having experienced fleeting Test careers to date, as is highly-rated speedster Sonny Baker after the 22-year-old endured a baptism of fire to his international white ball career in recent weeks.

New Warwickshire signing Nathan Gilchrist returns to the Lions squad after touring Sri Lanka in 2023.

The much talked about spin department will be led here by Lancashire left-armer Tom Hartley who has not featured for the England Test side since his debut series in India at the beginning of last year.

Who can consider themselves unlucky?

Saif Zaib (Northamptonshire)

A surprising absentee from the Lions squad, the Northamptonshire middle order batter has enjoyed a hugely prolific season in the County Championship as the leading scorer across both divisions with 1,425 runs.

The crafty left-armer averaged 64.77 at a healthy strike rate of just below 70, recording six centuries and seven half-centuries – no player in the country reached three figures as many times as the 27-year-old did.

Whether the decision to overlook reflects his Division Two status or Northamptonshire as one of the ‘unfashionable’ counties will no doubt continue to be a talking point in terms of international selection.

George Hill (Yorkshire)

The Yorkshire all-rounder has experienced a remarkable rise over the last couple of seasons and established himself towards the top of the leading wicket-taking charts in Division One to help Yorkshire ensure safety on their return to the top flight.

The 24-year-old seamer took an impressive 51 wickets at an average of 16.72 – the lowest average of any Division One bowler to take at least 12 wickets – whilst also recording a superb economy rate of just 2.50.

Hill also chipped in with four half-centuries in his 420 runs, though it may have been Matthew Revis’ stronger form with the bat (766 runs at 63.83) which gave the selection edge to his Yorkshire teammate on this occasion.

James Coles (Sussex)

The Sussex all-rounder’s stock is one of the highest risers on the county circuit in the last few seasons and he was rightfully selected in the England Lions squad to tour Australia at the start of the year after his role in Sussex’s Division Two title-winning campaign.

The 21-year-old middle order batter, who also provides a useful left-arm spin option, adapted to Division One life in style and ended the season on 1,032 runs at 46.90 with four centuries but will now instead focus on his T20 development this winter with the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the Betway SA20.

Lyndon James (Nottinghamshire)

Often viewed as a club that relies on poaching talent, it was a local lad who played a key role in Nottinghamshire’s first County Championship title since 2010 as they dethroned Surrey in a thrilling final month of the season.

The 26-year-old all-rounder amassed 789 runs, largely batting at number seven, with an average of 46.41 which also included a career-best double century against Hampshire in July.

James also provided effective support to a superb collective seam bowling attack, claiming two five-wicket hauls in his 26 scalps but that proved not enough to earn Lions recognition after call-ups between 2022-2024.

Fellow Notts title-winners Jack Haynes (825 runs at 41.25) and Dillon Pennington (28 wickets in eight matches) can also consider themselves very much on the unfortunate side after strong domestic displays.

Tom Taylor (Worcestershire)

At 30 years of age, Tom Taylor may not have reasonably expected the call but the leading wicket-taker in the country could perhaps consider himself a little unlucky after a stellar red ball campaign.

Despite Worcestershire suffering relegation from Division One, Taylor led the attack commendably and topped the charts with 58 dismissals at 22.87.

His ability to produce considerable swing with the new ball has made him a major threat but it is his low 80’s pace which perhaps ruled the late bloomer out of any contention, with members of the named squad in the typical high pace Bazball mould who would provide more like-for-like cover to the Ashes squad.

Charlie Allison (Essex)

Perhaps a wildcard consideration, even for the Lions squad at this time, though the 20-year-old Essex batter will no doubt be in England conversations in the very near future if his breakthrough season was anything to go by.

A maiden First-Class century at the Oval was a notable highlight but 735 runs at a healthy 38.68 average demonstrates a level of consistency and maturity, whilst also notching a further 418 runs in the One Day Cup – a standout performer in what was an otherwise testing campaign at times for Essex and certainly a name to keep an eye on in 2026.

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