On Saturday, England Men’s Mixed Disability team will make history with the first ever international game of mixed disability cricket.
Captain Callum Flynn talks us through his players, newly formed from the Physical Disability (PD), Learning Disability (LD) and Deaf squads. Find out more about the ground-breaking Mixed Disability Vitality IT20 series here.
Dan Bowser (LHB/SLA)
Dan is a classic, classy, left-handed batter. He opens the batting, he pulls everything – he’s really good to watch, beautiful.
He will hopefully look to attack and go big early on, impose himself on the bowlers. Off the field he's totally different. He's quite a quiet lad, and he tends to keep himself to himself but he's been a real leader for the Learning Disability (LD) team for many, many years now. Hopefully he can fulfil a similar role in this squad.
Angus Brown (RHB/LB)
Another top-order bat. Angus will be really aggressive up top.
He's a natural leader. He’s got a lot of experience, and he’s still a young guy but he’s mature beyond his years. Away from cricket he’s school teacher in Scotland so he's got a bit of a way to travel in the next few days given we’re starting in Taunton but he'll be someone who can hopefully get us into some really aggressive positions.
Angus is a real asset for the squad, he offers something in every facet.
James Dixon (RM/RHB)
Jimmy is an experienced guy. He’s a really good bowler, a medium pacer who always keeps the stumps in the game. He’s also someone who'll throw himself around in the field.
He's played for England Men’s Deaf team for a number of years and he’s played a real high standard of club cricket in Liverpool.
When we need a bit of experience and calmness, Jimmy will be someone that we can throw the ball to, and hopefully we can utilise his threats.
Chris Edwards (RHB/RM)
A proper leader. Chris has been captain for the England Men’s LD team for about 10 years now and he's won a lot with them. I can’t remember the last time they lost a series.
He's a proper role model for the lads from the LD team, he’s someone that they really look up to.
On the field, he's more aggressive than you might think if you’ve just met him off the pitch. He’s a lovely lad but he shows his passion when he’s out there. He'll be an all-rounder for us, he'll often be a bit of a finisher for us with the bat, and then he'll bowl some tough overs in the middle as well with the ball. He leads by example on and off the field.
Callum Flynn (RHB/RM, captain)
I'll be batting number three. I tend to get through a few overs in the Physical Disability (PD) team and in the DPL but I expect my role in this team will see me focus on batting and captaincy. That will help me out, so I can just focus on scoring runs, leading the team and trying to win games.
It also speaks to the rise in standards when you bring teams from different impairment groups together because we have more bowling options and a number of bowlers who offer more of a threat than I do.
Will Flynn (RHB/WK)
Will Flynn is just a really good character. He'll probably keep wicket for us. He offers us a 360-degree player in the middle overs - he can hit the ball to all parts of the field.
He's got a lot of confidence just coming off the Sri Lanka series for the PD team, getting his first international half-century, and he performed really well over there. I think he's really excited by this, by this new squad, and by this new opportunity.
It does mean he's taking on a bit of a new role with keeping as well, which means a different stress to him in terms of workload but I think he's someone that can handle it. He's been excellent in the warm-up games so far.
Ronnie Jackson (RHB, RM)
The comedian of the squad.
We all just literally love Ronnie's brilliant personality. You could spend all day with him and he wouldn’t stop making you laugh. He just says it how it is, he’s got real comedy value. When the boys need a lift, Ronnie will be someone that can offer that off the field.
On the field he is a really good cricketer. He's just like a free spirit. I think that describes him best. He plays naturally. He's got a brilliant eye for the ball. He plays some destructive innings sometimes, and he’s at his best when he’s not thinking about it too much and just playing on instinct.
He'll be really exciting to watch, to see how he goes against India because they can be quite chirpy in the field and I don’t think Ronnie will take a step back!
Farooq Mohammed (RFM/RHB)
I think Farooq is the oldest head in the squad, I don't think he'll mind me saying that. The funny thing is, he's a postman, and he literally always delivers – it’s a cheesy thing to say, but in terms of his bowling, he's so consistent. He's got a beautiful run-up, beautiful action - he's got the height, he's got the pace and bounce.
We’ll look to Farooq to challenge India up top and take a couple of wickets early on for us, and then he'll be bowling some pressure overs as well at the death. Farooq uses purely British Sign Language, which poses a challenge for him in a mixed group, but we’re very conscious of ensuring we include him and I think he's really enjoyed it.
He’s a really good character, you often look at Farooq and see a smile on his face and he’s having a bit of a giggle with the sign language interpreters and the boys. A great guy and a great cricketer.
Liam O'Brien (RHB, RM)
Really good cricketer - excellent cricketer. Liam is very competitive, very fierce, and hopefully, he can be a bit of a match-winner for us.
He’ll bat in the middle order, and he might bowl some tough overs. He’s also taken on a new role for this series as vice-captain, and he’ll form a leadership group with Chris Edwards and Josh Price.
Brendon Parr (RHB/RM)
You just look at Brendon and you know the role he’s going to play and the threat he’s going to offer. He’s very tall – maybe six foot six – and he’s in the gym every day. Even on tour after games, he goes into the gym. He really looks after himself.
And that is his role, to be destructive. He uses his size to his advantage and he will take it to the Indian bowlers, he'll hit a few big balls.
He’s a brilliant character off the field, as well. He's one of the loveliest guys you'll ever meet, he’s the kind of person to put his arm around someone when they’re struggling, that’s his natural personality, you don’t need to ask him to do that. So, he’ll look after the younger players and help out a lot if we’re under the pump.
Josh Price (RHB/SLA)
Josh is an excellent bloke. He's a teacher and he’s just had a little one as well, so it’s a big time for him with a couple of new stresses in his life, but he's just a natural leader.
He's such a brilliant cricketer. Arguably the best fielder in the squad, he offers a bit with the ball as well, but he'll potentially bat up the order for us, maybe even open with Dan Bowser.
If he opens, he’ll probably take the more dominant role than Dan, and be the one that that takes the aggressive role. He’s one of the loveliest blokes in the squad and I’m looking forward to seeing how he gets on.
Alfie Pyle (RMF/RHB)
A very chilled character. Alfie is probably one of the more inexperienced and younger boys in the squad but he’s very talented.
He's always giving people stick about the football team that they support, even though he's a Spurs fan.
As a cricketer, he’s a really exciting medium-fast bowler and he offers us something different with the ball shaping in at height, and he gets some really good bounce. In the LD team he bowls a lot of tough overs for them in the middle and at the death so I'm really excited to see how well he goes in this team.
Dan Reynaldo (OB/RHB)
Dan is one of my best mates in the squad. We have toured together since the first ever PD tour, and we've never really missed a tour since. He is someone who I go to naturally, even though he's not really got a leadership role. He is someone who I lean on a little bit because he's just got such a level head and reads the game really well
He’ll likely be one of our main spinning options and I expect he’ll have a big say in the game. You imagine that the India batters will want to take him on, but Dan won't back down.
He missed out on the PD tour to Sri Lanka because he had just had his second child as well so he’ll be very excited to get going.
Henry Wainman (SLA/RHB)
Henry is another of our main spinning options. He’s a slow-left-armer so he complements Dan [Reynaldo] well.
He also offers a bit with a bat. He hits a big ball, and he throws himself around in the field, and he’s such a brilliant character off the field.
He doesn't take anything too seriously. Which is nice because you need those kind of characters in your squad who don’t always overthink things. He turns up, does his job, bowls his overs and he’s a ‘see ball, hit ball’ cricketer as well with the bat. He offers a lot and adds a nice blend in the group.
Jordan Williams (RM/LHB)
A real, real winner, and one of my best mates in the squad. I play club cricket with Jordan and he will literally put his body on the line every game, even if he's in pain. He'll run through a brick wall for you. He’s someone that you want in your corner every time.
He'll be a big player for us. I expect he’ll take the new ball. His job will be to try and take wickets up top early and try and get India two or three wickets down in the powerplay.
In the field he’ll pretty much set the standard. He trains at the highest level, and he plays at the highest level. He'll help lift the team up because you look at Jordan and you think, that's the level of commitment I've got to give.