Rehan Ahmed, Jordan Cox and Sonny Baker have been named in an England Lions squad that will shadow the senior side on the tour of Australia.
Leg-spinner Ahmed, 21, missed out on the main Ashes squad and instead joins a Lions group that will provide back-up and warm-up opposition for Ben Stokes’ Test side.
England’s only warm-up match in Australia is against the Lions, a three-day match a week before the first Test in Perth.
Ahmed is one of four players in the Lions squad that have won Test caps, alongside fellow spinner Tom Hartley and pace bowlers Matthew Fisher and Josh Hull.
From the 18-man Lions squad, Ahmed, wicketkeeper-batter Cox and pace bowler Baker appear most likely to provide reinforcements to the Ashes squad if needed.
Essex’s Cox, 24, would have made his Test debut in New Zealand last year had he not suffered a broken thumb, an injury that gave an opportunity to Jacob Bethell.
Hampshire’s Baker, 22, was expensive on both his one-day international debut against South Africa and Twenty20 bow against Ireland, but is highly rated.
He is set to be awarded a central contract for the upcoming year when England announce a new list of players in the coming days.
Coached by England legend Andrew Flintoff, the Lions squad also includes promising batting brothers from Somerset, James and Thomas Rew.
Joining Baker and Hull in a youthful pace-bowling attack are Hampshire’s Eddie Jack and Lancashire’s Mitchell Stanley.
Glamorgan pair Ben Kellaway and Asa Tribe are rewarded for their fine form with first call-ups. Kellaway is an ambidextrous spinner, while batter Tribe has played international cricket for Jersey.
Following the game against the England senior side, the Lions play a Cricket Australia XI, a Prime Minister’s XI and Australia A.
Their tour ends on 8 December, the final day of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane.
Separately, Rehan Ahmed’s younger brother Farhan has been named captain of an England Under-19s squad to tour the Caribbean in October.
Flintoff’s son Rocky, 17, has not been considered for either the Lions or Under-19s because of an unspecified injury.
