Tony Birbeck and Graham Shaw have been selected in the England over 60s squad for the Over 60s World Cup in India.
Birbeck and Shaw who are both members of the Durham over 50s and over 60s teams have been called up to represent England in the World Cup which takes place in Chennai next month.
An 18 player-squad has been called up for the World event which runs from Monday 19th February until Saturday 2nd March.
England will feature in just their first World Cup and travel to India on the back of a very successful 2023 that saw them win the Caribbean Cup, the Grey Ashes and share the Canada Cup with Australia.
Placed in Group A, England will take on New Zealand, Canada, USA, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Rest of the World with their opening game against New Zealand on Monday 19th February.
The top two from each group qualify for the semi-finals.
Birbeck enjoyed a strong season with Durham scoring 523 runs with three fifties and two hundreds with a best of 118 against Yorkshire.
While Graham Shaw has also been in the runs averaging 83 with 576 runs to his name recording three-half centuries and two centuries, top scoring with an unbeaten 123* against Oxfordshire.
England will play India in an official warm up game on Wednesday 14th February ahead of the tournament starting, with the game being played at Chepauk Stadium, home of the Chennai Super Kings and Tamil Nadu. The meeting with India will be the first official ODI between the two sides at Over 60s level.
England Squad & Staff
Steve Aston (Staffordshire), Tony Birbeck (Durham), John Butterworth (Kent), Jason Caunt (Derbyshire), Phil Deakin (Lancashire), Chris Dearden (Lancashire), Montie Douglas (Lincolnshire), Nick Gaywood (Yorkshire), Edward Gordon Lennox (Vice-Captain, Gloucestershire), Mel Hussain (Essex), Richard Merriman (Captain, Derbyshire), Nick Newman (Leicestershire), Michael Palmer (Warwickshire), Jim Phillips (Kent), Simon Routh (Kent), Graham Shaw (Durham), Kevin Watson (Yorkshire), Marcus Young (Essex)
Paul Bradley (Team Manager), David Fisher (Scorer), Madhan Kumar Ramanathan (Physio), Paolo Iorio (Osteopath), Chris Johnson (International Masters Cricket Umpire Panel), Ian Gorton (Umpire), Keith Boyall (Umpire), Rash Mahmood (Commentator), Mel Mahmood
Reserves: Neil Brathwaite (Essex), Tony Rhodes (Hertfordshire), Lee Selfe (Bedfordshire)
Tournament Information
Monday 19th February – Saturday 2nd March (Knockout stages from Thursday 29th February)
Group A: England, New Zealand, Canada, USA, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Rest of the World
Group B: Pakistan, Australia, Wales, India, Sri Lanka, West Indies, Bangladesh
Top two from each group qualify for the semi-finals.
England’s Schedule
Friendly: Madras Cricket Club, Wednesday 14th February
Warmup ODI: India, Friday 16th February
Game One: New Zealand, Monday 19th February
Game Two: Zimbabwe, Tuesday 20th February
Game Three: South Africa, Thursday 22nd February
Game Four: Rest of the World, Friday 23rd February
Game Five: Canada, Monday 26th February
Game Six: USA, Wednesday 28th February