Dom Sibley Pulls Out Of England Lions Squad Ahead Of The Australia Tour

England and Warwickshire batter Dom Sibley has made the decision not to tour Australia with the England Lions. He made the decision to do so after much consideration as he wishes to work on his batting in winter instead of in order to get back into the England team.

Sibley, 26, was dropped following England’s second Test defeat to India in August- a game in which he followed a first-innings score of 11 with a second innings duck to continue a poor run of form that produced one fifty in 15 innings.

In the following weeks, he finished the English domestic season with three half-centuries as Warwickshire won both the County Championship and Bob Willis Trophy. However, he was overlooked for the Ashes 2021-22 as Zak Crawley was picked over him.

However, his inclusion in the England Lions squad will provide the opposition for Joe Root’s team in two warm-up matches ahead of the Ashes 2021-22 start was a clear indication that he remains very much in England’s plans.

Yorkshire Batsman Harry Brook Replaces Dom Sibley In England Lions Squad For Australia Tour

However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that Sibley will not be touring Australia with the England Lions side, which will travel down under for the Ashes 2021-22 which begins in Brisbane on December 8^th.

Instead, Sibley will be spending time in winter to work on his batting in order to regain his place in the England side and ECB named Yorkshire’s Harry Brooks as the replacement in the England Lions squad for the Australia tour.

He was named as the winner of two prestigious Young Player awards, from the PCA and the Cricket Writers’ Club respectively, after starring across formats for Yorkshire, as well as for Northern Superchargers in the inaugural season of the Hundred. Brook, 22, made more runs across the T20 Blast and the Hundred than any other English player, averaging 61.36 and striking at 150.33 from the middle order.

The Lions will fly out to Australia on November 4 and join the England Ashes squad in a camp in Queensland, where the group will play two intra-squad matches as well as take on Australia A in a four-day match.

England Lions squad to tour Australia:

Tom Abell (Somerset), Josh Bohannon (Lancashire), James Bracey (Gloucestershire), Harry Brook (Yorkshire), Brydon Carse (Durham), Mason Crane (Hampshire), Matthew Fisher (Yorkshire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Alex Lees (Durham), Saqib Mahmood (Lancashire), Liam Norwell (Warwickshire). Matt Parkinson (Lancashire), Jamie Smith (Surrey)

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