England pacer Mark Wood added to Lions squad

Durham seamer Mark Wood and Northamptonshire left-arm spinner Graeme White have been added to the England Lions squad for the five-match one-day series against Sri Lanka A which begins in March.

Wood, currently in South Africa as part of England’s Pace Programme, will join the squad to further increase his workload after recuperation from ankle surgery last year and White has taken the place left open by the England selectors when they announced the squad in December.

Both players have already been included in the North squad for the three-match 50-over series against the South, that will be held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi after the Lions one-day series in Sri Lanka. James Whitaker, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) national selector, said: “We believe these selections will work well both for the Lions and for the players involved.

“We had always been planning to add a left-arm spinner to the 14 players we named last month for the one-day series, and Graeme White deserves this chance after his performances for Northamptonshire in county cricket last summer which had already earned him a place in the North team through the PCA’s [Professional Cricketers’ Association] Most Valuable Player rankings.”