Chohan selected for England Lions squad to South Africa under Flintoff's captaincy

Andrew Flintoff will lead a 19-man squad in South Africa next month in his debut as the England Lions head coach. The squad will include Jafer Chohan, the Yorkshire legspinner who was recently named in his first senior white-ball squad, along with five other new additions to the set-up.

The tour, which comprises a training camp and a four-day unofficial Test against South Africa A in Western Province, will run from November 20 to December 14, and will be an opportunity for a clutch of promising players to replicate the training methods of the senior men's squad, who will playing a Test series in New Zealand during the same timeframe.

Josh Hull, who was an original inclusion for the ongoing Test tour of Pakistan but withdrew with a quad injury, has been named in the Lions party, having played his only Test to date against Sri Lanka at the Kia Oval last month.

He is one of four players with prior experience of the senior men's set-up, the others being Dan Mousley and Dillon Pennington, who were non-playing squad members in the summer just gone, and Pat Brown, the Derbyshire and former Worcestershire seamer who played the last of his four T20Is in 2019.

Chohan, the first graduate of the South Asian Cricket Academy to be named in an England squad, is set to play a limited role in the South Africa tour due to his prior Big Bash League commitments, as is Matt Hurst, the Lancashire wicketkeeper-batter who is also making his first Lions tour.

The squad also includes a number of recent graduates from England's Under-19 set-up, among them Harry Moore, a highly-rated 17-year-old Derbyshire fast bowler, and Freddie McCann, the Nottinghamshire opener whose century in last week's final round of the County Championship helped to preserve his team's top-flight status.

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Flintoff, who is also the head coach of Northern Superchargers in the Men's Hundred, said: "We're delighted to have such a high-potential group of players heading to South Africa. In selecting these players, we have a mix of well-established performers who've been in the England setup and excelled in the domestic game, through to some of the most exciting young talent coming through.

"The camp will support and accelerate the players' development, provide insight into various aspects of the international setup and aid their transition into future performance set-ups".

England Men's performance director, Ed Barney, added: "Selection aligns with England's short and long-term needs across all formats, and we will continue supporting a group of exciting pace bowlers. Over half the squad consists of seamers, reflecting our continued focus on supporting these players to achieve their potential.

"We are also excited about the competitive match opportunities, with a four-day fixture against South Africa A offering the opportunity for the squad to enjoy putting their skills on show against strong opposition."

The full coaching and support staff will be announced shortly.

England Lions squad: Farhan Ahmed (Nottinghamshire), Zaman Akhtar (Gloucestershire), Kasey Aldridge (Somerset), Pat Brown (Derbyshire), Jafer Chohan (Yorkshire), James Coles (Sussex), Henry Crocombe (Sussex), Josh Hull (Leicestershire), Matt Hurst (Lancashire), Tom Lawes (Surrey), Freddie McCann (Nottinghamshire), Ben McKinney (Durham), Harry Moore (Derbyshire), Dan Mousley (Warwickshire), Dillon Pennington (Nottinghamshire), James Rew (Somerset), Hamza Shaikh (Warwickshire), Mitch Stanley (Lancashire), John Turner (Hampshire)