TWO Somerset youngsters have been selected in the England Young Lions squad to tour Australia next January.

Two series between England Men’s U19 and Australia Men’s U19 have been confirmed, with the Young Lions heading to Australia in January and in turn hosting their counterparts across August and September next year.

As part of this, the Young Lions training group for the winter, which includes James Rew and George Thomas, has been announced, with the group having already spent two weeks together at a training camp in Abu Dhabi.

An initial group of 22 was selected for that camp, with a smaller squad to be selected from this pool of players for the month-long overseas tour of Australia in the new year, which will consist of two Youth Tests, three Youth ODIs and one Youth IT20 across January and February.

Young Lions Head Coach Michael Yardy said: “At this level it’s really important that we’re able to offer a range of experiences that can add value to a young player’s development, and the training camp that we’re currently running in Abu Dhabi, plus competitive fixtures in the new year against Australia, is a good balance.

“It’s really exciting for the players selected, and I’m looking forward to spending more time with the group, working with everyone and getting to know the group better. We also look forward to hosting Australia in the summer of 2023, it’s important to test yourself against your peers and both series will provide important learning for us.”

The tours will be led by new Young Lions Head Coach Michael Yardy, who will be joined by Kadeer Ali (Batting Coach), Chris Brown (Spin Bowling Coach), Simon Cook (Fast Bowling Coach) and Chris Read (Fielding & WK Coach).

England Men’s U19 will host Australia Men’s U19 in summer 2023, with two Youth Tests and five Youth ODIs across August and September.