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Gregory to captain England Lions down under

Somerset’s Lewis Gregory will lead England Lions on the tour of Australia, which starts later in January.

Somerset’s Lewis Gregory will captain England Lions on the tour of Australia, which starts later this month.

Gregory leads the side in both 50-over and four-day cricket against Cricket Australia XIs, New South Wales XIs and a four-day floodlit match against Australia A at the MCG.

The Plymouth-born all-rounder, who made his international debut in the IT20s against New Zealand before Christmas, has captained the Lions twice before.

In late 2018 he led the side in three 50-over matches and one T20 against Pakistan and then skippered the Lions to a draw against Australia A in Canterbury last July.

Gregory also captains Somerset in the Vitality Blast and will be joined by county captain Tom Abell, who will be Lions vice-captain in the white-ball series, as well as Lancashire’s Keaton Jennings, who will be the deputy in the four-day matches.

The available members of the squad will gather for a preparation camp at the National Cricket Performance Centre in Loughborough on 14-15 January.

Alongside the coaching staff, led by Richard Dawson, senior England internationals Tim Bresnan and Moeen Ali will spend time with the players to share their experiences of playing in Australia and dealing with the challenging conditions the squad will face.

Of his appointment, Gregory said: “It’s an honour to be chosen to captain the Lions again and I’m looking forward to what will be a great challenge in Australia. I can’t wait to lead the team out at the iconic MCG against Australia A and try to lay a foundation for future England success Down Under across the whole tour.

“I’m fortunate to have some good experience around me, including Tom and Keaton – my vice-captains. It’s important to have reliable people to turn to for advice, as well as players who have experience of playing in Australian conditions, such as Mason Crane, Craig Overton and Richard Gleeson.

“It promises to be a tough but rewarding tour and one that will help all of us improve our games in unfamiliar conditions.”

ECB Performance Director Mo Bobat said: “Lewis was an obvious choice to captain the Lions in Australia and I’m confident he’ll bring out the best in our two squads.

“His previous experience leading the Lions shows that he commands the respect of his teammates.

“Tom and Keaton will provide great support in the white and red ball formats respectively, both of whom have captaincy experience in county cricket.

“I’d like to thank Tim and Moeen for their time this week at the camp – I’m sure the information and experience they can impart will be very useful to many members of our squad as they look to hone their games to Australian conditions.”