Tuesday, January 17th, 2017

Clarke Set For Lions Training Camp Ahead Of Sri Lankan Tour

Clarke Set For Lions Training Camp Ahead Of Sri Lankan Tour

Joe Clarke will start preparations in earnest for next month's England Lions tour of Sri Lanka from Sunday.

The Worcestershire batsman and his team-mates will participate in a five-day training camp at the National Performance Centre, Loughborough from January 22 to 26.

Clarke earned his call-up after featuring in a three week camp in the UAE before Christmas with the Lions.

They defeated UAE 3-0 in a one-day series in Dubai and overcame Afghanistan in a four-day encounter in Abu Dhabi.

Meanwhile, the Lions have finalised the itinerary for the Sri Lankan tour which gets underway on February 6.

They will take on the Sri Lankan 'A' side in two 'Tests' and five one day-matches.

The schedule is:

Feb 17-20 first “Test” – Kandy.

Feb 24-27 second “Test” – Dambulla.

March 2 first one-dayer – Dambulla.

March 4 – second one-dayer – Dambulla.

March 6 – third one-dayer – Kurunegala.

March 9 – fourth one-dayer – Colombo.

March 11 – fifth one-dayer – Colombo.

At the conclusion of the tour, Clarke will head direct to Dubai to be part of the North squad chosen for three 50 over matches against the South.

The squads will gather ahead of warm-up matches on March 15 with the first two games of the series at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on March 17 and 19 before it concludes at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on March 21.