Test captain Ben Stokes will join the England Lions coaching team in the United Arab Emirates next month.
Stokes is currently recovering from an adductor injury he suffered during the fifth Ashes Test in Australia earlier this month.
But the 34-year-old will be part of Andrew Flintoff’s coaching staff for T20 and 50-over white-ball series against Pakistan Shaheens and continue his rehabilitation work in the UAE.
The coaching team – who will attend all or part of the tour – also includes Neil McKenzie, Sarah Taylor, Neil Killeen, Moeen Ali and Amar Rashid, while it will be Troy Cooley’s first tour since returning to the England and Wales Cricket Board as elite national men’s bowling leader.
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Ben Stokes will help coach the England Lions team in the United Arab Emirates next month
(Robbie Stephenson/PA)
Exciting
Spinner Moeen will join the Lions as coach for the first time, while Jordan Cox and Dan Mousley will captain the T20 and 50-over sides respectively.
ECB men’s performance director Ed Barney said: “It is exciting to have selected such a strong England Lions team.
“This group brings a real mix of proven performers and exciting talent who have performed over the winter and keep an eye on the future best.
“With a limited offering of 50-over cricket, this series, combined with tours throughout the remainder of 2026, will provide players with the opportunity to develop and perform as we build towards the 2027 ICC Men’s World Cup in South Africa.”
The Lions will play a three-match, five-50-over T20 series, their first away white-ball series since visiting Sri Lanka in 2022.
Lions T20 squad: J Cox (Essex, captain), S Baker (Hampshire), L Benkenstein (Essex), J Coles (Sussex), S Cook (Essex), S Currie (Hampshire), C Harrison (Northamptonshire), E Jack (Hampshire), S Mahmood (Lancashire), B McKinney (Durham), T Moores (Nottinghamshire), D Mousley (Warwickshire), M Revis (Yorkshire), W Smeed (Somerset), N Sowter (Durham), M Stanley (Lancashire), A Tribe (Glamorgan).
Lions 50-over squad: D Mousley (Warwickshire, capt), S Baker (Hampshire), L Benkenstein (Essex), S Cook (Essex), J Coles (Sussex), S Currie (Hampshire), C Harrison (Northamptonshire), E Jack (Hampshire), B McKinney (Durham), L Patterson-White (Nottinghamshire), M Potts (Durham), M Revis (Yorkshire), J Rew (Somerset), M Stanley (Lancashire), A Tribe (Glamorgan), J Wharton (Yorkshire).
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