Foxes youngster Swindells named in England Under-19s squad

Leicestershire County Cricket Club are delighted that wicket-keeper/batsman Harry Swindells has been named in the England Under-19s squad for their forthcoming test series against India.

England will play two four-day test matches at Queen’s Park in Chesterfield from July 23-26 and New Road in Worcester from July 31 to August 3, games which follow a two-day warm-up match against a Unicorns XI in Loughborough on July 19-20.

It will be Swindells’ first taste of international experience and is reward for all of the hard work he has put in over the last few months.

The 18-year-old, who has come through Leicestershire’s flourishing Academy, trained with the First XI over the winter and has enjoyed a strong start to the season for Leicestershire Second XI.

Swindells said: “It was great to receive the phone call from [ECB National Performance Manager] David Graveney as it has always been a goal of mine to get into the England under-19s squad. It’s a dream come true and I’m really looking forward to the next few weeks.

“I work as hard as I can and have a lot of people to thank who have helped my game a lot, including the coaches at Leicestershire County Cricket Club - [Academy Director] Andy Siddall, [Indoor School Manager] Dips Patel, [Head Coach] Pierre de Bruyn, [Second XI Coach] John Sadler and [Assistant Coach] Graeme Welch.

“I’d also like to thank Narborough and Littlethorpe for giving me the opportunity to play men’s cricket at the age of 12. I had 10 great years playing there, it’s such a great club and I will forever be thankful for the opportunities and support that everyone at the club gave me. I’m also grateful to Leicester Ivanhoe for allowing me the chance to play Premier League cricket.”

Leicestershire CCC Head Coach Pierre de Bruyn said: “We are all really pleased for Harry, he has been training with the First XI since the winter and has also played a lot for the Second XI. Harry spent a couple of years on our Academy and his game has come on a lot over the last few months.

“Harry has really impressed us with his attitude and work ethic and we’re delighted that he has been rewarded with his first England under 19s call-up. He has been identified as a big part of our future plans and will continue to get better with more experience.”

Max Holden and Harry Brook will lead England Under-19s this summer in the respective four-day and one-day series against India.

Holden, the Middlesex opener who has spent an extended loan spell with Northamptonshire this season, will captain the team in the two four-day matches, as he did in India earlier this year, and at home to Sri Lanka last summer.

Then the Yorkshire batsman Brook, another of six members of the four-day squad who travelled to India in the winter, will take over the captaincy for a five-match Royal London One-Day Series – for which the England selectors considered only players who are available for the ICC Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in early 2018.

That ruled out Holden and a number of other members of the four-day squad, including the Somerset pair George Bartlett and Ben Green, the Worcestershire fast bowler Josh Tongue, and the Surrey spinner Amar Virdi, who was invited to train with England Lions last week.

Andy Hurry, the head coach of the Young Lions programme, said: “We had an excellent tour of India earlier this year, when the lads involved learned so much both in red ball and white ball cricket.

“Facing the Indians in a return series this summer provides an excellent opportunity to build on that, and to face international opposition in more familiar home conditions.”

Following the two four-day matches, the Royal London One-Day Series starts at the SSE SWALEC Stadium in Cardiff on Monday August 7. That is followed by a day-night match at the Spitfire Ground St Lawrence in Canterbury on Wednesday August 9 to be shown live on Sky Sports.

The series continues at the 1st Central County Ground in Hove on Saturday August 12, with match four at the Brightside Ground, Bristol on Monday August 14, and concludes on Wednesday August 16 at the Coopers Associates County Ground in Taunton.

England Under-19s squads:

For two four-day matches against India: Max Holden (Middlesex, capt), Liam Banks (Warwickshire), George Bartlett (Somerset), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Henry Brookes (Warwickshire), Ben Green (Somerset), Will Jacks (Surrey), George Panayi (Warwickshire), Ryan Patel (Surrey), Liam Patterson-White (Nottinghamshire), Matt Potts (Durham), Oli Robinson (Kent, wk), Harry Swindells (Leicestershire, wk), Josh Tongue (Worcestershire), Amar Virdi (Surrey).

For five-match Royal London One-Day Series against India: Harry Brook (Yorkshire, capt), Liam Banks (Warwickshire), Tom Banton (Somerset, wk), Henry Brookes (Warwickshire), Adam Finch (Worcestershire), Alfie Gleadall (Derbyshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Tom Lammonby (Somerset), Felix Organ (Hampshire), Liam Patterson-White (Nottinghamshire), Jack Plom (Essex), Matt Potts (Durham), Hamidullah Qadri (Derbyshire), Oli Robinson (Kent, wk), Liam Trevaskis (Durham).