Recent squads:

• England Performance Programme squads 2009-10
• England Performance Programme in India 2008
• England Performance Programme squad 2007-08
• ECB National Academy squad 2006-07
• ECB National Academy squad 2005-06
• ECB National Academy squad for 2004-5

Background

The first intake to the National Academy, as it was then known, was the winter of 2001-02, when the party were based at the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy (CBCA) in Adelaide, Australia.

The 2001-02 Academy players were:

• Ian Bell (Warwickshire)
• Andrew Flintoff (Lancashire, right)
• Steve Harmison (Durham)
• Simon Jones (Glamorgan)
• Derek Kenway (Hampshire)
• Robert Key (Kent)
• Steve Kirby (Yorkshire)
• Nicky Peng (Durham)
• Chris Schofield (Lancashire)
• Owais Shah (Middlesex)
• Andrew Strauss (Middlesex)
• Graeme Swann (Northants)
• Chris Tremlett (Hampshire)
• Alex Tudor (Surrey)
• Mak Wagh (Warwickshire)
• Mark Wallace (Glamorgan)
• Matthew Wood (Yorkshire)

For the 2002-03 winter the Academy was again based at the CBCA in Adelaide. The 15-player intake played a number of competitive fixtures in Australia, then toured Sri Lanka via a stop-off in Kuala Lumpur.

The 2002-03 Academy players originally named were:

• Kabir Ali (Worcestershire)
• James Anderson (Lancashire)
• Gareth Batty (Worcestershire)
• Ian Blackwell (Somerset)
• Rikki Clarke (Surrey)
• Kyle Hogg (Lancashire)
• Gordon Muchall (Durham)
• Monty Panesar (Northants)
• Chris Read (Notts)
• Chris Tremlett (Hampshire)
• Jim Troughton (Warks)
• Alex Tudor (Surrey)
• Graham Wagg (Warks)
• Mark Wallace (Glamorgan)

Richard Dawson and Robert Key, who were members of the England Test squad touring Australia, were also named in the 14-man tour squad, which did not include Anderson, Tudor and Wagg.

The 2003-04 intake was the first to benefit from the new National Academy facility at Loughborough. A 14-player group was joined by Kent's Ed Smith for the England A tour to Malaysia and India in February and March 2004.

Ian Bell