SOMERSET duo Jack Leach and Craig Overton flew out to Sri Lanka with the England Lions squad on Monday evening ahead of their three-week tour, writes Richard Walsh.

Just before he set off, left-arm spinner Leach said: “I am massively looking forward to the Lions trip and any time you get to pull on the England shirt is a special moment.

"I can’t wait to get out there and get stuck in.

“I haven’t been to Sri Lanka before so it's a whole new experience for me and gives me the chance to see a different country and play in very different conditions as well.

"We will be playing against some quality players so it will be a great three weeks for me and I am looking forward to getting as much as I possibly can out of it.”

When Leach returns from Sri Lanka he has a few days at home before setting off again with the rest of the Somerset squad for their training camp in Spain.

He then returns briefly to Taunton before flying out to Abu Dhabi to play for the MCC against the champion county Middlesex in the 2017 season’s opener.

Leach said: “It's great to be included in the MCC team and they have picked a good young side for that.

"I think the England selectors have had a say in its make-up.

“It's great to have all of these opportunities and for me it's about trying to get as much as I possibly can from each of them."

Leach admitted his ultimate dream is to play for England and to have former Somerset man Jos Buttler keeping wicket to his bowling.

“I played with Jos a lot when I was younger - we were on the Somerset Academy together and are still great mates now.

“We are always chatting together and I tell him I want my first wicket for England to be stumped Buttler bowled Leach and how I would love him to present me with my cap.

“At the moment these are just dreams but I definitely want to fulfill them.

"It's great to have a friend like Jos Buttler who believes in me as well and he has been brilliant for me.

“I miss playing cricket with Jos but hope it won’t be too long before I get to have him keeping wicket to me again - that really would be a dream come true!”

Overton was also itching to get going, adding: “It’ll be a long trip but also a good one and it’ll be against some really good opposition.

"A lot of their players will have played for Sri Lanka so it’s going to be tough but good fun.”

The Somerset Academy graduate, who hails from North Devon, went on: “It’s great to be in both the one-day and four-day squad.

"The first few weeks is going to be all about the red ball, so I’ve been getting prepared for that here in Taunton. Hopefully I can do well in that and then take some good form in to the white ball stuff.

“It’ll be great to have Leachy with us as well. It was a tough winter for him but he’s handled it brilliantly. He can just crack on now and concentrate on his cricket.”

The 22-year-old hit his maiden first class century in 2016, proving that he is very much an all rounder.

“It was great to get a hundred last year and I want to get a few more. It was a big relief to get that hundred. I’d been really close a couple of times so it was good to finally get there."

The Lions begin their tour with a three-day warm up match on February 12th and this will be followed by two four-day matches against Sri Lanka A beginning on the 17th and the 24th.

The five-match one-day series will begin on March 2nd.