Australian Cricket Academy team to tour India and Sri Lanka

A team representing the Australian Cricket Academy (ACA) will leave this week for a tour of India and Sri Lanka. The tour will be three weeks long, and is aimed at giving the next crop of Australia's cricketing talent experience in playing in subcontinental conditions.

The 14 members of the touring party have just completed a 13-week training program at the academy. The tour marks the final stage of the academy scholarship program, as they continue their rise into the senior ranks.

Tim Nielsen, the ACA head coach, said that the trip was a great opportunity for the young players to experience match conditions in the subcontinent. "International cricketers need to be prepared to play in all sorts of climates and conditions, and this tour will help give the scholars a taste of touring life," he said in a Cricket Australia statement. "The scholars have been put through some rigorous training and match simulations during their time at the centre of excellence and were certainly looking forward to the trip to broaden their cricketing knowledge and experience."

The ACA team
Dane Anderson, David Dawson (Tasmania), Aiden Blizzard, Clint McKay, Peter Nevill, Carl Sandri (Victoria), Liam Davis, Clint Heron, captain (Western Australia), Stewart Heaney, Michael Shaw (Australian Capital Territory), Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Reardon (Queensland), Trent Kelly, Ken Skewes (South Australia)