England Men's U-19 side to tour Sri Lanka

The England & Wales Cricket Board and Sri Lanka Cricket have confirmed that the England Men's Young Lions (U19) will tour Sri Lanka later this month in a five-match limited-over series. The tour is part of England's preparation ahead of the ICC Men's Under-19 Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean starting in January.

The England Team will arrive in Sri Lanka on Monday 22 November 2021 and play five ODIs at the Singhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground, Colombo starting on Tuesday 30 November. All matches and practice sessions will be conducted in a bio-secure environment.

The selection panel, headed up by Young Lions Head Coach Richard Dawson, have selected a 19-strong squad for the tour. Commenting on the tour, Young Lions Head Coach, Richard Dawson, said, "We are looking forward to touring Sri Lanka in what should be a challenging and exciting five-match ODI series. It's a great opportunity for our squad to experience touring the sub-continent. It will give them a chance to play in a pressurised environment against their international peers in unfamiliar conditions.

"This trip is an integral part of their future development and will also provide good preparation leading into the ICC Men's U19s World Cup in the Caribbean starting in January 2022," Dawson concluded.

‘’We just completed a 5 nil win against Bangladesh, and it did give us an opportunity to assess our team,’’, said Avishka Gunawardene, Head Coach of Sri Lanka U19.

‘’We will use the England series to tighten few loose ends, as there is always room for improvement and establish firmly as a team, and be ready to ‘peak,’ when the World Cup approaches in the year 2022,’’  he further said.

TOUR SCHEDULE

1st ODI – Sri Lanka v England, Tuesday 30 November 2021, SSC Ground, Colombo

2nd ODI - Sri Lanka v England, Friday 3 December 2021, SSC Ground, Colombo

3rd ODI - Sri Lanka v England, Sunday 5 December 2021, SSC Ground, Colombo

4th ODI - Sri Lanka v England, Wednesday 8 December 2021, SSC Ground, Colombo

5th ODI – Sri Lanka v England, Friday 10 December 2021, SSC Ground, Colombo

Image Credits : ECB