Fletcher receives U19 call-up

Alex Wakely led England in the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia earlier this year

Nottinghamshire medium-pacer Luke Fletcher has been called up to the England Under-19 squad to play Bangladesh A in a three-day match at Loughborough University in July.

Fletcher, 19, has already appeared for Nottinghamshire Outlaws in this season’s Friends Provident Trophy matches against Warwickshire Bears, Ireland and Northamptonshire Steelbacks.

He is the only member of the 12-man squad who has not yet represented England at Under-19 level.

England coach Andy Pick said that Fletcher's rise this season has been a pleasant development.

“Luke is a late developer, and hasn’t necessarily come through the England development system,” Pick told ecb.co.uk.

“But around the grounds he has developed a reputation as a useful bowler, and hopefully he can strengthen an area where we struggled a bit in the World Cup.

“We probably needed one more seamer to star, and he will be determined to do that against the Bangladeshis.”

Fletcher is joined in the squad by another young Notts player, Alex Hales.

Alex Wakely retains the captaincy after leading England in the Under-19 World Cup, which was held in Malaysia in February and March.

The Northamptonshire batsman is one of several players in the squad who will not be eligible to play after this summer.

Essex’s Tom Westley and Sam Northeast of Kent are two notable omissions from the squad.

Pick said: “We decided to leave Tom out because he has been an important part of Essex’s Twenty20 squad, so we left his selection alone so as to avoid any last-minute clashes [the Twenty20 Cup quarter-finals take place on July 7, 8 and 9].

“We may lose some of the other players to Twenty20 Cup duty, depending on who qualifies for the quarter-finals.”

The game, which starts on Sunday July 6, is the Bangladeshis' first in the country as part of an eight-match tour in July and August.

It is also the first time England Under-19s have had the chance to play a touring A side.

The match is a precursor to the Under-19 Test series with New Zealand later this summer.

England Under-19s play the young Black Caps in two youth Tests at Taunton and New Road, before five one-day internationals.

The first two one-day games are at Canterbury, the third at Hove, and the final two at Wantage Road, Northampton.

England Under-19 Squad (for three-day match with Bangladesh A, July 6-8): Alex Wakely (captain, Northamptonshire), Ben Brown (wkt, Sussex), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Luke Fletcher (Nottinghamshire), Billy Godleman (Middlesex), James Goodman (Kent), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), James Harris (Glamorgan), Daniel Redfern (Derbyshire), James Taylor (Leicestershire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire).