Durham Academy duo Ben McKinney and Ross Whitfield have been called up to the England under-19s side to face Sri Lanka this month.
The Durham pair have progressed through the County pathway system and have both been part of the academy side in recent years, with both also being involved in Durham 2XI action this summer.
The England Men’s U19 selectors have named a 13-player squad for the first of their two LV= Insurance U19 Tests against Sri Lanka U19 starting on Sunday.
Ben McKinney has been appointed as captain for the four-day fixture at the Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford.
In consultation with their respective teams, 14 players in contention for England Men’s U19 selection will continue to participate in domestic cricket to keep gaining valuable first-team experience.
This includes some of the players who featured in the ICC Men’s U19 World Cup squad earlier this year, including Rehan Ahmed (Southern Brave/Leicestershire), Sonny Baker (Southern Brave/Somerset), James Rew (Somerset), Jacob Bethell (Welsh Fire/Warwickshire), James Coles (Sussex), Will Luxton (Yorkshire), Tom Prest (Hampshire), James Sales (Northamptonshire) and Fateh Singh (Nottinghamshire).
McKinney said: “ It was a big surprise when I got the call. I was really happy to be in the squad but to be captaining England at any level is a massive honour. I know most of the lads so hopefully we can do well. I will be very glad when the big day arrives and hope I can do myself and Durham proud.”
Whitfield added: “I feel proud and was lost for words when I received the call, it’s nice when the effort you put in gets rewarded with this opportunity.”
ECB’s Elite Performance Pathway Coach, Richard Dawson, said:“We’re really looking forward to this series and seeing how a wide range of the best young men’s players in this country adapt to the challenge and opportunity of international age-group cricket.
“Already this season it’s been encouraging to see a number of the guys from our World Cup squad earning regular selection for their counties and making some significant contributions.
“The key for us when selecting a squad is working out with the counties what’s best for each individual player, and for the first Test match – in a number of cases – we agreed that it was best for them to continue playing domestic cricket.
“That removes some experience from our squad, but it also increases the challenge and opportunity for the guys who have been selected.”
The selectors will name a squad for the second LV= Insurance Test ahead of that match, which begins on 28 August at the Incora County Ground in Derby, before naming a squad for the three-match Royal London U19s Series.
Earlier this week, the squad defeated an Ireland Academy side by three wickets in a three-day match at Loughborough University as part of their preparation for the Sri Lanka series.
Squad: Ben McKinney (Durham – captain), Tom Aspinwall (Lancashire), George Bell (Lancashire), Tommy Boorman (Gloucestershire), Ben Cliff (Yorkshire), Bertie Foreman (Sussex), Alex Horton (Glamorgan), Matthew Hurst (Lancashire), Eddie Jack (Hampshire), Dominic Kelly (Hampshire), Ben Parker (Worcestershire), Harry Singh (Lancashire), Ross Whitfield (Durham)
England Men’s U19 Summer Fixtures
Sunday 21 – Wednesday 24 August: First LV= Insurance U19 Test – England U19 v Sri Lanka U19; Cloud County Ground, Chelmsford
Sunday 28 – Wednesday 31 August: Second LV= Insurance U19 Test – England U19 v Sri Lanka U19; Incora County Ground, Derby.
Monday 5 September: First Royal London U19 International – England U19 v Sri Lanka U19; New Road, Worcester.
Thursday 8 September: Second Royal London U19 International – England U19 v Sri Lanka U19; New Road, Worcester.
Saturday 10 September: Third Royal London U19 International – England U19 v Sri Lanka U19; Uptonsteel County Ground, Leicester.