Kent captain Robert Key will lead the England Lions on their tour of New Zealand.
Batsman to skipper Lions on tour against the Black Caps
Kent captain Robert Key will lead the England Lions on their tour of New Zealand.
The 14-man squad is a blend of youth and experience with Key, Ravi Bopara, Gareth Batty, Sajid Mahmood and Liam Plunkett the players already capped at Test level.
Samit Patel, Luke Wright and Jonathan Trott have represented England in the shorter formats of the game, meanwhile, and will also be hoping to stake their claims for the summer's 2009 Ashes series against Australia.
Youngsters Joe Denly, Steven Davies and Eoin Morgan are also included in the touring party, with England set to play two four-day matches against New Zealand A plus two one-day games and a Twenty20 fixture.
England Lions squad: Robert Key (Kent, capt), Gareth Batty (Worcestershire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Mark Davies (Durham), Steven Davies (Worcestershire)*, Joe Denly (Kent), Amjad Khan (Kent), Sajid Mahmood (Lancashire), Stephen Moore (Worcestershire), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire), Liam Plunkett (Durham), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire), Luke Wright (Sussex).
*Tim Ambrose (Warwickshire) will replace Stephen Davies in the Lions squad following the conclusion of the Test Series in West Indies.
