Eighteen-year-old Thomas Rew will captain the England Lions in three T20 matches against West Indies A in St. Kitts and Nevis in November, potentially becoming the youngest captain in the team's history. This appointment follows Rew's recent inclusion in the senior England squad for the T20 series in Australia and his receipt of a central contract. Rew also captained England Under-19s to the final of the World Cup earlier this year.
His brother, James Rew, is also part of the Lions T20 squad. Other players set to participate in both the Lions tour and the Australia series include Hampshire seamer Eddie Jack and Sussex all-rounder James Coles.
The England Lions will play five one-day matches against West Indies A following the T20 series. Test batter Dan Lawrence will captain the Lions squad for the one-day fixtures. Seamer Sam Cook will also be involved in the one-day matches, with both Lawrence and Cook using the tour as preparation for the senior team's Test series in South Africa in December.
Rew's captaincy of the Lions signals the high regard in which he is held by England cricket's hierarchy. During the summer, he scored his first two first-class hundreds for Somerset. Rew is set to turn 19 on November 29. Should he debut in Australia, he would become the third-youngest player to represent England in any format, after Rehan Ahmed and Brian Close, and the youngest to play against Australia.
Hampshire seamer Scott Currie is also included in the T20 squad. Currie previously played three one-day internationals for Scotland in 2014. He was called into England's squad for a T20 series in Ireland last year, and although he did not play, he was later ineligible to represent Scotland at the T20 World Cup due to being named as an England substitute fielder.
Former England batter Jonathan Trott is overseeing the Lions' winter tours, succeeding former head coach Andrew Flintoff.
The England Lions T20 squad for the series against West Indies A includes: Thomas Rew (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Scott Currie, Adam Finch, Calvin Harrison, Jack Haynes, Eddie Jack, Ben Mayes, Ben McKinney, Liam Patterson-White, James Rew, Naavya Sharma, Ekansh Singh, and Asa Tribe.
The England Lions squad for the five one-day matches against West Indies A features: Dan Lawrence (captain), Rehan Ahmed, James Coles, Sam Cook, Mason Crane, Adam Finch, Jack Haynes, Eddie Jack, Ben Kellaway, Ben Mayes, Ben McKinney, Liam Patterson-White, James Rew, Thomas Rew, Naavya Sharma, Ekansh Singh, and Asa Tribe.