Eleven uncapped players named in England Lions squad for UAE trip

Recent Test players Dan Lawrence, Matt Fisher, Matthew Potts and Haseeb Hameed are also included

Eleven uncapped players have been included in an England Lions squad to travel to the United Arab Emirates in November, with several of those selected rewarded for fine seasons at county level.

Young spinners Rehan Ahmed, Liam Patterson-White and Jack Carson are all included, as are seamers Sam Conners and Sam Cook, both of whom were among the 11 bowlers to reach the landmark of fifty wickets in this summer's County Championship, with Cook's 51 scalps remarkably coming at 16.23 apiece in a year where batters tended to dominate.

Sussex opener Tom Haines will travel as part of an England Lions squad for the first time after two years' consistent run-scoring; he ended his summer by achieving the remarkable feat of making two hundreds on the same day of a first-class game, doing so in the draw with Glamorgan. He is joined by near-namesake Jack Haynes who, having begun the season without a red-ball century in his short career, put together three in three weeks and has long been classed as a possible England batter.

The 21-year-old, one of the most talented young batters on the circuit, is one of eight players aged 23 or younger in the 15-man group, which also features – in Matt Fisher, Hasseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence and Matthew Potts – four players with recent Test experience.

Potts was considered unfortunate to miss out on the Test squad for Pakistan after a fine first summer in England colours, though that was a horses-for-courses decision, while Hameed hasn't played for England since a dismal Ashes series last winter. He has regrouped since then, however, finishing behind only Wayne Madsen at the top of the County Championship run stakes.

Lawrence and Fisher were both part of Joe Root's final Test squad in the Caribbean; both suffered injuries with varying degrees of severity during the summer, which stunted their hopes of a recall before now, while Lawrence in particular has been usurped by others in the pecking order.

^{Haseeb Hameed was the second-highest run-scorer in the County Championship (Gareth Copley/Getty Images)}

ECB performance director Mo Bobat added that some players who might otherwise have been in contention were absent for strategic reasons.

"While we aim to ensure that Lions opportunities are closely aligned to England's future needs, we also try to be as individualised as possible with our player programming," he said. "Selection for the camp was conducted in close collaboration with both players and counties, and there are a number of players that have been encouraged and supported to take up other opportunities at home and overseas.

"The camp also supports the England Men's team in their preparation for Pakistan, allowing England and Lions players to work closely together in overseas conditions."

Indeed, England Lions will take on England's Test team in a three-day practice match in Abu Dhabi from November 23, with five of the main squad – James Anderson, Jamie Overton, Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach and Will Jacks – all flying out early to the UAE for individual preparation.

Injured fast bowlers Jofra Archer, Saqib Mahmood and Brydon Carse will also spend a fortnight with the squad.

After Hameed, Tom Abell is the next-highest run-scorer from this season's County Championship picked for the trip.

Surrey's Jamie Smith is the only wicketkeeper in the squad, while Josh Bohannon – the Lancashire No.3 – is rewarded with a second Lions tour in successive winters, having been part of the trip to Australia last year. He is one of just five players who were part of that group and are involved once again – Cook, Smith, Fisher and Abell the others. Spinners Dom Bess, Matt Parkinson and Mason Crane are all omitted, while Dom Sibley and Alex Lees are other notable absentees.

Allrounder Lyndon James joins Patterson-White and Hameed to complete a strong Nottinghamshire presence; no other county has more than two players involved.

England Lions squad: Tom Abell, Rehan Ahmed, Josh Bohannon, Jack Carson, Sam Conners, Sam Cook, Matthew Fisher, Haseeb Hameed, Tom Haines, Jack Haynes, Lyndon James, Dan Lawrence, Liam Patterson-White, Matthew Potts, Jamie Smith

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