Nottinghamshire duo Harry Gurney and Samit Patel will aim to press their claims for an England recall, possibly as early as the World Cup, when they team up for the Lions in the first of five one-day matches against South Africa A in Bloemfontein on Sunday.

The Trent Bridge pair are two of the five new faces in the Lions squad for the one-day series, with Tim Bresnan due to make it six when he arrives next week, and are well aware that the selectors will be keeping a close eye on events in South Africa in case anyone is injured in England’s World Cup preparations.

“There is occasionally an injury leading into these major tournaments,” said Gurney, who played for England in the one-day series in Sri Lanka late last year.

“The key for everybody on this trip, particularly the lads who were in the 30-man World Cup squad, is to get themselves as close to the top of the pecking order as they possibly can.”

Patel, who last played for the senior England team in New Zealand in early 2012, said: “I’m just glad to be back in England colours really, and trying to produce some performances that can get me back where I want.”

Both are expecting a tough test from South Africa A, with Gurney admitting the newcomers are going “in at the deep end” having swapped an English winter for the fierce Free State heat – even though both he and Patel did spend some time in Sri Lanka before Christmas.

Ben Stokes, Jason Roy and Stephen Parry are the other new faces in the Lions squad, and South Africa A have also welcomed several significant additions for the series - like the Lions, their players are hoping to stake their own claims for a possible late World Cup call-up.

Dean Elgar, who is South Africa’s current Test opener, joins the squad after smashing 98 from 45 balls for the Pretoria-based Titans against the Bloemfontein-based Knights in a Momentum Cup 50-over match on Friday at the Diamond Oval in Kimberley – the venue for the second match of the series on Wednesday.

Elgar’s Titans team-mates Marchant de Lange and David Wiese also come into the squad to strengthen the bowling options open to captain Justin Ontong – Wiese after impressing in the recent T20 series against West Indies with figures of five for 23 in Durban.

Ryan McLaren is not available for the first match as he is still recovering from a hamstring injury sustained in the drawn four-day fixture against the Lions in Paarl, but he hopes to stake his World Cup claims later in the series after admitting he was devastated to be omitted from South Africa’s squad.

Squads:

England Lions: Vince (capt), Roy, Lees, Lyth, Bairstow, Stokes, Patel, Billings, Rashid, Parry, Plunkett, Wood, Brooks, Rankin, Gurney.

South Africa A: Ontong (capt), Elgar, R Hendricks, van Zyl, de Bruyn, Zondo, Vilas (wk), de Lange, B Hendricks, Morris, Rabada, Wiese, Harmer, Leie, McLaren.

 

Trent Bridge hosts the fourth Royal London One-Day International between England and New Zealand on Wednesday 17 June. Don't miss the chance to take in what promises to be an absorbing contest and secure your seat now.