SOMERSET captain Tom Abell has been selected to captain the England Lions for the two Royal London 50-over matches against South Africa in Taunton next week.

The England Men's selection panel have named a 13-player squad that also features Tom Banton and Will Smeed, taking the total number of Somerset players involved to three.

Taunton-born Jake Lintott will also be playing in the squad, currently enjoying a succesful season for Warwickshire.

The two matches at the Cooper Associates County Ground are set to start on July 12.

Mo Bobat, ECB performance director, said: "It's always great when we can bring some of our best and highest potential players together, particularly to take on senior international opposition. The two games provide an excellent opportunity to continue to grow our depth and assess players' readiness for England.

"The squad reflects a balance of England's next best players and some future players of note, as well as high performers from this season's Vitality Blast campaign.

"With these games coming at the same time as England ODIs versus India and a County Championship round, we're very appreciative of the collaborative approach of counties, enabling us to field strong teams."

The first match at Taunton will permit full squad participation to facilitate South Africa Team preparation for the international white-ball programme, but the second match at Worcester will be played as an 11-a-side List-A match.

England Men's assistant coach Paul Collingwood has been appointed head coach for the two matches.

England Lions Squad versus South Africa:

  • Tom Abell (Somerset) (Captain)
  • Rehan Ahmed (Leicestershire)
  • Tom Banton (Somerset) (WK)
  • Sam Cook (Essex)
  • Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire)
  • Steven Eskinazi (Middlesex)
  • Sam Hain (Warwickshire)
  • Adam Hose (Warwickshire)
  • Benny Howell (Gloucestershire)
  • Jake Lintott (Warwickshire)
  • David Payne (Gloucestershire)
  • George Scrimshaw (Derbyshire)
  • Will Smeed (Somerset)