Kent’s Matt Coles has been ruled out of Paul Farbrace’s South squad for the first North-South Series in Dubai and Abu Dhabi next month.
Middlesex all-rounder Toby Roland-Jones replaces Kent’s Coles, who was one of the eight players to earn automatic selection through their performances in the 2016 Royal London One-Day Cup – but who suffered a toe injury on the Spitfires’ recent trip to Antigua to play in the West Indies domestic 50-over competition.
Roland-Jones was also riding high in the MVP Rankings supported by the Professional Cricketers’ Association at the end of the group stage of the Royal London One-Day Cup.
He is currently in Sri Lanka with England Lions, scoring 82 and taking four wickets in the first innings of their victory in the first four-day match against Sri Lanka A in Kandy.
He will join fellow Lions Tom Alsop, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Ben Foakes and Tom Curran in the South squad, with Keaton Jennings to lead a North team including five other members of the Lions squad for the five-match one-day series against Sri Lanka A – Ben Duckett, Joe Clarke, Liam Livingstone, Josh Poysden and Graeme White.
Farbrace, the England assistant coach, will be Head Coach for the South, with England’s fast-bowling coach Ottis Gibson Head Coach of the North.
North-South Series – March 17, 19 (both Dubai International Cricket Stadium), March 21 (Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi).
Squads
North: K Jennings (Durham, capt), B Duckett (Northamptonshire Steelbacks*), S Hain (Warwickshire), J Clarke (Worcestershire Rapids, wk), L Livingstone (Lancashire Lightning), J Leaning (Yorkshire Vikings), T Bresnan (Yorkshire Vikings*), J Poysden (Warwickshire), G White (Northamptonshire Steelbacks*), M Wood (Durham), S Mahmood (Lancashire Lightning), R Gleeson (Northamptonshire Steelbacks), H Gurney (Notts Outlaws*).
South: J Vince (Hampshire, capt), D Bell-Drummond (Kent Spitfires), T Alsop (Hampshire), D Malan (Middlesex), S Northeast (Kent Spitfires), L Dawson (Hampshire*), B Foakes (Surrey, wk), T Curran (Surrey), L Gregory (Somerset*), T Groenewald (Somerset*), T Roland-Jones (Middlesex), S Finn (Middlesex), M Crane (Hampshire).
* – automatic selection through position in Professional Cricketers’ Association’s Most Valuable Player rankings for the 2016 Royal London One-Day Cup