County stars make U-19 tour

A strong England Under-19 squad has been named for their tour of South Africa early next year. The majority of the 15-man squad have played first-class cricket with some already regular fixtures in Championship sides.

Liam Dawson, the Hampshire allrounder, is one of the stand-out names and scored his maiden first-class century on the final day of season against Nottinghamshire. Joshua Cobb has made a positive impression at Leicestershire, while James Harris has continued to impress at Glamorgan despite a tougher second season.

The squad announcement marks a good couple of days for 17-year-old Atif Sheikh, who earns call-up shortly after being handed his first professional contract with Derbyshire.

There is plenty of batting talent in the squad with Sam Northeast, Daniel Redfern and Jaik Mickleburgh fighting for places.

The team arrive in South Africa on January 6 and will play a five-match ODI series against South Africa Under-19s at Cape Town and Paarl, followed by a one-off, four-day, Test at Benoni.

Squad Scott Borthwick (Durham), Nathan Buck (Leicestershire), Joshua Cobb (Leicestershire), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), James Harris (Glamorgan), Jaik Mickleburgh (Essex), Sam Northeast (Kent), Thomas Poynton (Derbyshire), Daniel Redfern (Derbyshire), Hamza Riazuddin (Hampshire), Atif Sheikh (Derbyshire), Ben Stokes (Durham), James Taylor (Leicestershire), Adam Wheater (Essex), Chris Wood (Hampshire), James Burke (Somerset)