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Woakes to lead England Lions tour

Chris Woakes, the Warwickshire allrounder who made his Test debut at the Oval in August, has been named captain of England Lions for the tour of Sri Lanka in February.

Chris Woakes made his England Test debut in the final Ashes Test at The Oval  •  Getty Images

Chris Woakes made his England Test debut in the final Ashes Test at The Oval  •  Getty Images

Chris Woakes, the Warwickshire allrounder who made his Test debut at the Oval in August, has been named captain of England Lions for the tour of Sri Lanka in February.
Woakes will lead the Lions in three unofficial four-day Test matches against Sri Lanka A, for which a 15-man squad has been named. Mark Robinson, the Sussex coach, will take charge of the tour.
Jonny Bairstow, who is currently with England's Ashes squad in Australia, has also been selected along with Simon Kerrigan who made his Test debut alongside Woakes.
The Lions will arrive in Sri Lanka on January 27 and play two three-day matches in Colombo before the first fixture against Sri Lanka A in Kandy on February 12. Two further matches follow in Dambulla and Colombo.
England selector James Whittaker said this was an excellent opportunity for some younger players: "We believe this Lions squad contains an excellent mix of players that have had international exposure, combined with emerging young talent that we hope can flourish on this tour to Sri Lanka.
"All our Lions tours and England Performance Programmes play a vital role in the development of future England players. The opportunity to train and play in the subcontinent will be an invaluable experience and under the guidance of coach Mark Robinson we are convinced all the players will learn a great deal."
England Lions party for tour of Sri Lanka
Chris Woakes (Warwickshire, capt), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Scott Borthwick (Durham), Varun Chopra (Warwickshire), Ben Foakes (Essex), James Harris (Middlesex), Chris Jordan (Sussex), Simon Kerrigan (Lancashire), Alex Lees (Yorkshire), Tymal Mills (Essex), James Overton (Somerset), Sam Robson (Middlesex), James Taylor (Nottinghamshire), James Vince (Hampshire)
England Lions Sri Lanka tour fixtures
February 1-3, Sri Lanka A Team Emerging Players, Colombo
February 6-8, Sri Lanka A Team Emerging Players, Colombo
February 12-15, Sri Lanka A, Kandy
February 19-22, Sri Lanka A, Dambulla
February 26-March 1, Sri Lanka A, Colombo