England have included plenty of new blood in their squads for their tour of New Zealand -here’s a handy guide as to who’s who
Matt Roller23-Sep-2019Dominic Sibley (Tests only)Dom Sibley works to the leg side•Getty ImagesThe outstanding batsman in the County Championship this season, Sibley has scored more than 300 more runs and faced more than 1000 more balls than anyone else in Division One. He became the youngest player to make a Championship double-hundred back in 2013, aged 19, but found opportunities at the top of the order limited at Surrey, and was regularly used as a middle-order batsman.He left under a cloud in 2017 after becoming increasingly frustrated, and signed a three-year deal with Warwickshire. His first 12 months at the club were unproductive, but changing to a much more open, straight-on stance following several sessions with specialist batting coach Gary Palmer, has completely turned his form around.He ended the 2018 season with three hundreds in four innings, and has made five more in the Championship this year. If England decide to pick him, it could well allow for a re-shuffle, with Joe Denly moving down to No. 3 and Joe Root returning to his favoured No. 4 spot.What he said: “I made my Surrey second-team debut opening with Rory [Burns] and made my first-team debut with him, and he is a good mate, so it will be great to be alongside him in the England squad.”Zak Crawley (Tests only)Kent’s Zak Crawley on his way to a ton•PA PhotosCrawley is a 6ft 5in, 21-year-old opener who has long been marked out as a future England player. He has scored 820 Championship runs at an average of 34.16 for Kent this season.He made a gritty 43 for the England Lions in a four-day game against the touring Australians in July, though with just three first-class hundreds and an average of 31.80 in his career to date, it may well be that he has been picked on potential as much as performance.What he said: “Ed [Smith] went to the same school as me and they have a board up there for ‘old boys’ who go on to play for England, so I’m hoping to get my name up there alongside Ed.”Ollie Pope (Tests only)Pope made his Test debut against India last summer, and there isn’t a single English batsman who has averaged more in first-class cricket having played as many games as him.He has missed most of the 2019 season after injuring his shoulder in April, but smashed an unbeaten 221 against Hampshire in his first game back against Hampshire, and was on standby as a potential concussion replacement for most of the Ashes series.It is likely that he will be a candidate to bat at No. 6, where he has spent most of his time in the first-class game, but he could equally slot in at either No. 4 or No. 5.ESPNcricinfo LtdSaqib Mahmood (Both squads)Mahmood’s pace has caught the eye throughout his career to date, and he was excellent in the Royal London Cup at the start of the season, taking 28 wickets at 18.50 to finish as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker.He has regularly broken the 90mph barrier in televised games, and his ability at the death allowed him to play a vital role of Lancashire’s Vitality Blast campaign, in which they topped the group.Since leading England’s attack in the 2016 Under-19 World Cup, England have kept a close eye on him, regularly including Mahmood on pace-bowling camps and picking him in Lions squads.He is still raw in the first-class game, and has only taken 21 Championship wickets this season, but his career average is below 30 and it seems that England are willing to use this tour to have a close look at him.What he said: “When I got the phone call and found out I was in both [squads] I don’t think I heard what he said in the rest of the call. I’ll probably have to find out.”Matt Parkinson (Both squads)Matt Parkinson tosses one up above the eyeline•Getty ImagesA precocious legspinner from Bolton, Parkinson has excelled in the Blast since his debut in 2017, and no spinner has taken more wickets in the tournament over the past three seasons than his 60.There is some concern over his record against left-handers in T20 cricket – he goes at 8.94 runs per over against them, compared to just 6.50 against right-handers – but his ability to take regular wickets makes him one of the top spinners in the format in the country.He bowls at a slightly slower pace than most modern legspinners – generally around 46-50mph – but is a big spinner of the ball, and is the obvious choice to succeed Adil Rashid in the ODI team when the time comes.He is a surprise pick in the Test squad – he is currently playing in his fourth Championship game of the season, and has only played 19 first-class games in his career – but with Mason Crane struggling and Adil Rashid barely playing red-ball cricket, he is the best legspinner available to England right now.What he said: “I was actually on the field in mid-over when I found out: Saqib [Mahmood], who isn’t playing in this match, was on the players’ balcony and he shouted the news to me. At the end of the over I came down to fine leg and was asking which squad I was in.”Tom Banton (T20 squad only)Tom Banton squirts one away through point•Getty ImagesMarked himself out as a man for the big occasion with a hundred and two fifties in Somerset’s three knock-out games in the Royal London Cup, before lighting up the Vitality Blast with 549 runs at a strike rate of 161.47.A former England Under-19 captain, Banton’s natural flair, tall stance and destructive attacking shots have drawn comparisons with Kevin Pietersen, Alex Hales, and Jos Buttler to name a few, and his televised hundred against Kent in August had all who saw it purring.What he said: “Me and my dad were on the way to town to get a coffee. Me and George Bartlett, who I live with – we don’t cook a lot, so normally mum or dad bring down food for us, so they were dropping that down. We walked back and I had a phone call from an unknown number.”Lewis Gregory (T20 squad only)Lewis Gregory carves through the covers•Getty ImagesLast seen in an England training kit ahead of the one-off Test against Ireland as an option as a third or fourth seamer, Gregory is in the T20 squad primarily for his ability as a finisher.He scored 328 runs at a staggering strike rate of 202.46 in the Blast last season, and attracted IPL interest from Rajasthan Royals for his exploits. He missed most of this year’s tournament with a foot injury, but has been in fine form in the County Championship with the ball.He captained Somerset’s T20 side in 2018, and his leadership experience also extends to the England Under-19s and the Lions. With the ball, he has generally proved expensive in the shortest format, but if he is included as a No. 6 or No. 7 will provide England with some additional flexibility.What he said: “It was a surprise – I only played three T20 games in the competition this year. I was expecting that if anything was going to come it would be in the red-ball format.”Pat Brown (T20 squad only)Pat Brown was the star of last year’s Blast with 31 wickets in his debut season•Getty ImagesA 21-year-old seamer, Brown was the breakout star of the 2018 Blast, taking 31 wickets as he hauled Worcestershire to their maiden title. This season, he struggled to match the heights of last year, but impressed on Finals Day and ended the tournament with 17 wickets, and an economy of 8.12 despite largely bowling at the death.He has a relatively simple gameplan, with two excellent slower balls (a knuckleball and an offcutter) and can hit 87mph when he cranks it up.What he said: “I’m playing golf with my mate at the moment. I just told him: ‘pick my ball up – I’m going to be five minutes’.”
