Henry Brookes continues rapid rise with England Lions call-up

Henry Brookes has continued his swift ascent by winning a call-up to the England Lions squad.

Brookes, 18 years old and with just six first-class games behind him, has made quite an impression in his limited opportunities at Warwickshire.

Blessed with decent pace - a recent televised game showed him bowling at 90mph - he has also demonstrated admirable skill and maturity. Both his team-mate, Jonathan Trott, and his county director of cricket, Ashley Giles, have stated with confidence that he will represent England.

A former England Under-19 player, Brookes has also made two first-class half-centuries in his eight innings at that level. He was not selected for Warwickshire's current Championship match in a bid to manage his workload. He is understood to be fully fit.

His Warwickshire teammate, Olly Stone, would surely have won a call-up to the squad, too, but is currently sidelined through injury.