Three of International Sports Management’s highly-rated cricketers have been included in England’s provisional squad for the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in West Indies.
Hard-hitting Somerset wicketkeeper-batsman Craig Kieswetter joins ISM stablemates Ajmal Shahzad and Graham Onions in the 30-man party, which has to be halved by March 30 in readiness for the tournament starting on April 30.
Kieswetter’s call-up follows an impressive spell with England Lions, during which time he scored a hundred against the senior England side and has since been drafted into the one-day squad in Bangladesh.
Yorkshire all-rounder Shahzad, who made his international debut in the recent two-match Twenty20 series against Pakistan in Dubai, has also been included alongside Durham seamer Graham Onions,
The squad also includes uncapped players Steve Finn from Middlesex, Hampshire’s Michael Lumb, Peter Trego from Somerset, Yorkshire’s David Wainwright and Warwickshire seamer Chris Woakes.
"The upcoming ICC World Twenty20 is an exciting tournament and we have selected an exciting crop of players in this provisional squad," explained National Selector Geoff Miller.
"All players named have shown their ability in the shortest form of the game and the Selectors have some difficult decisions to make when reducing the squad to 15 players.
"We have a number of young players knocking on the door which underlines the depth in talent currently available and I know all concerned will be hoping they make the final squad for what is a highly anticipated tournament."
Squad: Paul Collingwood (Durham, capt), James Anderson (Lancashire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire). Steven Davies (Surrey), Joe Denly (Kent), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Craig Kieswetter (Somerset), Michael Lumb (Hampshire), Sajid Mahmood (Lancashire), Dimitri Mascarenhas (Hampshire), Eoin Morgan (Middlesex), Graham Onions (Durham), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Liam Plunkett (Durham), Matt Prior (Sussex), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Owais Shah (Middlesex), Ajmal Shahzad (Yorkshire), Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), James Tredwell (Kent), Peter Trego (Somerset), Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire), David Wainwright (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Luke Wright (Sussex), Michael Yardy (Sussex).