{"id":1936715,"date":"2026-05-15T12:41:47","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T09:41:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1936715"},"modified":"2026-05-15T12:41:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T09:41:47","slug":"henry-crocombe-and-mitchell-stanley-lead-young-england-lions-pace-picks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1936715","title":{"rendered":"Henry Crocombe and Mitchell Stanley lead young England Lions pace picks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/branded_sport\/1200\/cpsprodpb\/2594\/live\/b7487800-5058-11f1-82d0-dba52fc3f32a.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article class=\"ssrcss-1k0hlxf-ArticleWrapper e1nh2i2l0\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<div data-block=\"headline\" class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-18pjzom-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<header data-testid=\"headline\">\n<h1 id=\"main-heading\" class=\"ssrcss-8zqj65-Heading e10rt3ze0\"><span role=\"text\">Crocombe and Stanley lead young Lions pace picks<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"image\" class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-oyhass-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"image\" class=\"ssrcss-1uy5kw5-FullWidthWrapper ep2nwvo1\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-hc6arm-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-135qv6o-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><source srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/2594\/live\/b7487800-5058-11f1-82d0-dba52fc3f32a.jpg.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/2594\/live\/b7487800-5058-11f1-82d0-dba52fc3f32a.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/2594\/live\/b7487800-5058-11f1-82d0-dba52fc3f32a.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/2594\/live\/b7487800-5058-11f1-82d0-dba52fc3f32a.jpg.webp 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/2594\/live\/b7487800-5058-11f1-82d0-dba52fc3f32a.jpg.webp 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/976\/cpsprodpb\/2594\/live\/b7487800-5058-11f1-82d0-dba52fc3f32a.jpg.webp 976w\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><\/span><span role=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-tzgxt7-StyledFigureCopyright e34k3c20\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Image source, <\/span>Getty Images<\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-3uli8u-StyledFigureCaption ehbdhz00\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Image caption, <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-15twdc6-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Sussex&#8217;s Henry Crocombe played for England Lions on tour in South Africa in 2024<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"byline\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-oyhass-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"single-byline\" class=\"ssrcss-sevsa1-ContributorContainer ee66fvo3\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-dt4z-ContributorInfo ee66fvo0\"><span class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">By<\/span><span class=\"ssrcss-nsjd43-TextContributorName epw3ir01\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1q14p6q-LinkWithChevronContainer epw3ir02\"><span class=\"byline-link-text\">Stephan Shemilt<\/span><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-dqo7s5-ContributorDetails ee66fvo2\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1m5444d-Text ee66fvo4\">Cricket Correspondent<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"metadata\" class=\"ssrcss-l7emlr-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-oyhass-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"metadata\">\n<div>\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-9tw7r1-MetadataStripContainer eh44mf03\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-10q9h22-GroupChildrenForWrapping eh44mf02\">\n<li role=\"listitem\" class=\"ssrcss-sf7vdp-MetadataStripItem eh44mf01\">\n<div class=\"visually-hidden ssrcss-i2z2ig-VisuallyHidden e16en2lz0\">Published<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-m5j4pi-MetadataContent eh44mf00\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1pvwv4b-MetadataSnippet e4wm5bw3\"><span class=\"ssrcss-61mhsj-MetadataText e4wm5bw1\"><time data-testid=\"timestamp\" datetime=\"2026-05-15T12:41:47.335Z\">8 minutes ago<\/time><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/div>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-oyhass-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><b class=\"ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">Henry Crocombe and Mitchell Stanley are among the pace bowlers on England&#8217;s radar named in a Lions squad to take on South Africa A in two four-day matches later this month.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Sussex&#8217;s Crocombe was namechecked as a player being watched by director of cricket Rob Key when England chose their squad for the first Test against New Zealand earlier this week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Stanley of Lancashire is admired by the hierarchy, including by influential Lions coach Andrew Flintoff, despite the 25-year-old having played only five first-class matches.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Crocombe, 24, had taken 19 wickets in the County Championship this season before the latest round of matches got under way on Friday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He is in the squad for the second of the two matches against South Africa A, at Beckenham on 29 May. The first game is at Arundel on 22 May.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">England&#8217;s pace-bowling department is evolving following the disappointing Ashes and the retirements of Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Chris Woakes in successive years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Ollie Robinson&#8217;s two-year international exile has been ended with his call-up for the first Test against New Zealand, with uncapped Hampshire paceman Sonny Baker also included. Brydon Carse is injured and Jofra Archer will be rested following his stint at the Indian Premier League.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-oyhass-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><b class=\"ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">England Lions squad for two matches against South Africa A:<\/b> Dan Mousley (captain), Charlie Allison (Essex), Henry Crocombe (second four-day match), Eddie Jack, Ben Geddes, Ben Mayes, Ben McKinney, Tom Lawes, Alfie Ogborne (first four-day match), Liam Patterson-White, James Sales, Naavya Sharma, Mitchell Stanley, Asa Tribe, James Wharton.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"text\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-oyhass-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"rich-text\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nqezkk-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Joining Crocombe and Stanley in the Lions are Hampshire&#8217;s Eddie Jack and Surrey&#8217;s Tom Lawes, both seamers who were on tour in Australia over the winter and have England development contracts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Somerset left-armer Alfie Ogbonne, 22, and Middlesex 20-year-old Naavya Sharma are other pace-bowling prospects in the Lions group.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Warwickshire&#8217;s Dan Mousley will captain the squad that includes openers Ben McKinney and Asa Tribe. The two men were touted as possible replacements for Zak Crawley in the England team before his spot went to McKinney&#8217;s Durham team-mate Emilio Gay.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Flintoff will lead the Lions, with confirmation soon expected that the former England all-rounder will become head coach of Sydney Thunder in Australia&#8217;s Big Bash League.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The Thunder role will be Flintoff&#8217;s first overseas franchise job following two seasons in charge of Northern Superchargers in The Hundred. The 48-year-old had a short spell in the BBL with Brisbane Heat at the end of his playing career.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Flintoff has been in charge of the Lions since 2024, initially on a one-year contract. His deal was extended to the beginning of 2027 last year without an official announcement from the England and Wales Cricket Board.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">If Flintoff does take charge of the Thunder, he is likely to miss the end of the Lions&#8217; tour to South Africa in December.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-block=\"topicList\" class=\"ssrcss-vxwoax-ComponentWrapper e1aon0op1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1opfpqj-Spacer e1aon0op0\">\n<div data-testid=\"topic-list\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-nj9heb-StyledTagContainer ed0g1kj1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1pfbb52-TopicListHeaderWrapper etw6iwl0\">\n<h2 class=\"ssrcss-89o2pv-Heading e10rt3ze0\">Related topics<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-17ehax8-Cluster e1ihwmse1\">\n<ul role=\"list\" class=\"ssrcss-w8zanw-ClusterItems e1ihwmse0\">\n<li>Cricket<\/li>\n<li>England Lions<\/li>\n<li>England Men&#8217;s Cricket Team<\/li>\n<li>Lancashire<\/li>\n<li>Sussex<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/sport\/cricket\/articles\/c2k2nq4z42qo&#8221;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/branded_sport\/1200\/cpsprodpb\/2594\/live\/b7487800-5058-11f1-82d0-dba52fc3f32a.jpg&#8221;] Crocombe and Stanley lead young Lions pace picks Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Sussex&#8217;s Henry Crocombe played for England Lions on tour in South Africa in 2024 By Stephan Shemilt Cricket Correspondent Published 8 minutes ago Henry Crocombe and Mitchell Stanley are among the pace bowlers on England&#8217;s radar named in a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[35,226],"class_list":["post-1936715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-bbc-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1936715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1936715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1936715\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1936715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1936715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1936715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}