The England U19s head to the UAE this weekend for a Tri-series with Pakistan and UAE U19s, as part of their ongoing preparation ahead of the ICC U19s World Cup which takes place in February 2014, in the UAE, and Glamorgan's S&C Coach Rob Ahmun will again be travelling with them.
The 17-man squad will play in Abu Dhabi at the Oval Ground, in Sharjah at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium and in Dubai at three different grounds.
EDP Chairman of Selectors David Graveney OBE said: "The England Development Programme and England U19 programme gives us an opportunity to set high standards and expectations for our future England cricketers. On this occasion Ben and Kishen did not meet the minimum standards required for selection so this presents a great opportunity for Luke and Saqib to experience a challenging overseas tour and to press their case for inclusion in the squad for the ICC U19 World Cup."
Glamorgan Strength & Conditioning Coach Rob Ahmun said, "I've been working with the England u19s since September although I have been working with the England Performance Programme for the last two years and this will be my third England Tour.
"I was last out in Dubai in 2010 with the Glamorgan Cricket Academy on a playing tour, and am adding a brief holiday in Goa with the missus straight afterwards as we've not had a break for about 2 years due to the commitments with England tours and Glamorgan domestic season.
"I'll re-start with the Glamorgan squad on the 6th January with a squad fitness testing and screening day. Preparations are going really well.The players have been in for a month already working hard on their fitness and skills work.
"The players all have programmes to follow while I'm away, and the Academy S&C Coach Tom Turner and Science and Medicine Intern Carwyn Lewis will be in the hot seat whilst I'm away in the sun, to ensure the standards don't slip.
"Some of the players have quite strict diet rules to follow and fitness targets to hit, so there's no room for excesssive mince pie eating over the festive period and as I mentioned all the squad will be re-assessed on the 6th January, with new physical development targets set for them to achieve by pre-season in March."
Full U19s 17-man squad to travel to UAE: Edward Barnard. Karl Carver, Joseph Clarke, Harry Finch, Matthew Fisher , Miles Hammond , Ryan Higgins, Robert Jones, Saqib Mahmood, Lewis McManus , William Rhodes , Robert Sayer , Josh Shaw , Dominic Sibley, Jonathan Tattersall , Jack Winslade, Luke Wood
Fixtures:
5 December Practice Match Abu Dhabi Oval Ground
8 December England v UAE Abu Dhabi Oval Ground
9 December Pakistan v England Abu Dhabi Oval Ground
13 December England v UAE Sharjah Sharjah Cricket Stadium
15 December Pakistan v England Sharjah Sharjah Cricket Stadium
17 December England v UAE Dubai Fair Grounds Dubai
20 December England v Pakistan Dubai ICC Global Cricket Academy
22 December Final Dubai Dubai Cricket Stadium
