WARWICKSHIRE captain Alex Davies has received a call-up to the England Lions squad for their New Year tour of Australia.
Davies hit a career high 1,115 runs in the County Championship last season and is part of a 16-player squad which will play three red ball games Down Under.
The England A tour features two four-day matches against a Cricket Australia XI followed by a First Class ‘Test’ against Australia A in Sydney at the end of January.
Davies said: “It was out of the blue. I was running around the Edgbaston track last week and had a missed call off Freddie [Flintoff[. I wondered what that could be, called him back and he asked if I wanted to be part of the Lions squad.
“I’ve been with the Lions before when I was younger. They are picking a lot of youngsters now so I’d kind of put that side of my career to bed. My focus was to bang runs out here with Warwickshire, be consistent in the Championship, and just see what happens.
“Freddie said they’d like some experience on the trip. It’s a nice reward and good to know that if you do have a good season then you can come into the reckoning.
“I think they are looking for some leadership support around a young group. It’s a bonus for me, hopefully I can give them what they need and play some decent cricket.
“I’ll be away for a few weeks but I’ll still be staying across everything back at Edgbaston, getting on calls with Robbo [Mark Robinson] and the guys about our plans.”
And 18-year-old Bears prospect Hamza Shaikh joins Davies in the touring party after the former recently took part in a Lions development camp in South Africa.
Davies has played 16 times for England Lions, including two First Class games, scoring two half centuries for the England A team.
The 30-year-old last featured for the Lions six years ago.
England men’s performance director Ed Barney said: “We have rewarded players who have proven themselves at this level and those with significant potential.
“Matches and tours of Australia are always important and we relish the opportunity to test ourselves against quality opposition.”
