England’s spin duo of James Tredwell and Scott Borthwick have been named in the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) squad for the annual Champion County match in Abu Dhabi. The four-day match, which is the annual curtain raiser for the English county season, will be between MCC and Yorkshire and begins on March 20.
Tredwell and Borthwick are two of five cricketers with England experience included in the squad, along with Ian Bell, Warwickshire allrounder Rikki Clarke and Durham bowler Graham Onions. Nottinghamshire’s Jake Ball and Essex allrounder Tom Westley are also included having recently returned from England Lions duty in the UAE.
A combined MCC Universities squad and the MCC Young Cricketers will also be playing a number of fixtures in the UAE, and will provide 12th and 13th men for the full MCC squad. Tom Westley and Surrey’s Rory Burns are both MCC University graduates included in the full squad.
The match will take place under the MCC Spirit of Cricket Banner and, following a request from Yorkshire, will be played in day conditions with a red ball. The White Rose County won the fixture last year by nine wickets, thanks to a first innings century from Adam Lyth and six wickets in the match for England spinner Adil Rashid.
England internationals
Yorkshire’s side will feature captain Andrew Gale and Alex Lees (one-day captain), as well as England trio Adam Lyth, Gary Ballance and Tim Bresnan. Lyth is hoping to use the game to get early season runs as he looks to regain his place in England’s top order.
The Champion County match will be preceded by the Emirates T20 tournament on March 18, for which Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara will be part of the MCC squad. Yorkshire, Lancashire and the UAE national side will also take part in the tournament.
John Stephenson, MCC Head of Cricket, said: “We have put together a squad with a great mixture of youth and experience that are capable of challenging Yorkshire, and I’m sure it will be an engaging fixture for everyone involved. In Ian Bell, we have one of the best England cricketers of recent years, and there is plenty of international experience throughout the rest of the group, as well as a number of young players with the potential to play for England.
“I’m confident our squad can do MCC proud, put on a good performance and uphold the Spirit of Cricket throughout the tour.”
The full MCC squad for the tour of Abu Dhabi and Dubai: Nick Browne (Essex), Rory Burns (Surrey, ex—Cardiff MCCU) Scott Borthwick (Durham), Ian Bell (Warwickshire, Captain), Tom Westley (Essex, ex—Durham MCCU), Ben Foakes (Surrey) Rikki Clarke (Warwickshire), James Harris (Middlesex) James Tredwell (Kent), Jake Ball (Nottinghamshire), Graham Onions (Durham), Kumar Sangakkara (Surrey).
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