Nottinghamshire Academy player Nick Kimber is one of four players who have been added to the England Under-19s squad to take on South Africa at Scarborough on Sunday in the first of two four-day ‘Youth Tests’.
The 17-year-old old paceman is joined in earning a late call-up by Ben Charlesworth, a left-hander from Gloucestershire, George Lavelle, a wicketkeeper-batsman from Lancashire and Sam Conners, a Derbyshire seam bowler
Somerset’s Tom Banton will captain the team after his county team-mate Tom Lammonby was ruled out with injury.
Lammonby, who missed the ICC Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year after suffering a hand injury in practice, was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his heel after making 45 in the warm-up match against the Minor Counties Unicorns on Tuesday.
Two more players from the 14-man squad originally selected for the two ‘Tests’ – the other is at the Emirates Riverside between 16 and 19 July – have withdrawn because of injury
Ethan Bamber, the Middlesex seamer who impressed in the World Cup campaign, has an abdominal strain and Greg Willows has returned to Gloucestershire after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his back.
In addition, Jamie Smith, the 17-year-old Surrey batsman was not considered after being included in Surrey’s senior squad for the opening stages of the Vitality Blast – and making his debut against Middlesex at Lord’s on Thursday night.
He joins several other eligible players who are either injured or have been left to play for their counties, including Yorkshire’s Harry Brook, Warwickshire’s Henry Brookes, Worcestershire’s Dillon Pennington, Surrey’s Will Jacks and Durham’s Matt Potts.
A separate England Under-19s squad will be named next week for the three-match Royal London One-Day Series against South Africa A, with games at Emirates Riverside (23 July, live on Sky Sports), South Northumberland CC (26 July) and Scarborough (29 July).
England Under-19s squad
Tom Banton (Somerset, captain), Liam Banks (Warwickshire), Ben Charlesworth (Gloucestershire), Sam Conners (Derbyshire), Jack Davies (Middlesex), Adam Finch (Worcestershire), Alfie Gleadall (Derbyshire), Jack Haynes (Worcestershire), Luke Hollman (Middlesex), Nick Kimber (Nottinghamshire), George Lavelle (Lancashire), Jack Plom (Essex), Hamidullah Qadri (Derbyshire), Oli Robinson (Kent), Harrison Ward (Sussex).
Fixtures
July 8-11 – first ‘Youth Test’ v South Africa Under-19s (Scarborough)
July 16-19 – second ‘Youth Test’ v South Africa Under-19s (Emirates Riverside).
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