Tazeem Ali selected for England under-19s tour of South Africa
Tazeem Ali says he is looking forward to playing for England under-19s against South Africa this winter in a series he describes as a 'good test'.
Ali is set to be part of the 18-man squad heading to South Africa to take part in two Youth Test Matches and three Youth One Day Internationals.
The highly-rated legspinner has made eight List A appearances for his county Warwickshire - in that time, he has taken eight wickets with best figures of 3-53.
The 18-year-old also plays for Smethwick in the Birmingham Premier League.
Ali said: “It’s another chance for me to play with some of the best young players in the country and be around some top coaches. I think this is the fourth time I’ve been involved with England Under-19s squads, and I feel my game has improved each time.
“Matches against South Africa will be a good test, I want to do well and go at the games hard.”
Ali was the fourth leading wicket-taker at the under-19s World Cup in 2024, and Warwickshire first team Coach Mark Robinson, said: “This represents another great opportunity for Taz to further his development with England’s Young Lions, and gain more invaluable experience playing overseas.
“Taz is clear on what he’s working on, and we are in regular contact with England’s coaching staff to ensure we are fully aligned.”
There is also a call-up for Worcestershire's Jack Home. He burst onto the scene in the Metro Bank One Day Cup last season taking 16 wickets in five appearances - including 6-51 against Derbyshire.
The 18-year-old says the international call-up is the 'icing on the cake' after he came from nowhere to represent Worcester in all three formats last season.
He said: “To get called up by England Under-19s for the first time is the icing on the cake of a special period for me.
“I had started the 2024 season expecting to be playing under-18 cricket and hopefully to get an opportunity in the seconds.
“It’s been an amazing experience for me being part of the first team, particularly during the One Day Cup, and being made so welcome.
“I know I’ve still got so much to learn, and the Young Lions will be the next part of that learning curve, and hopefully I can then bring that back to Worcestershire and continue to develop.”
The team will be led by Archie Vaughan - the son of former England captain and now cricket pundit Michael Vaughan.
They head to Cape Town first as they play Western Province CC in a warm-up game.
They play two ODI's at Western Province against South Africa on Friday, January 17 and Sunday, 19 before moving to Stellenbosch for the third and final match of the series on Wednesday, January 22.
The first Youth Test will begin on Sunday, January 26 at Coetzenburg CC - and will last four days.
And the final match of the series will see the touring party return to Cape Town to play at Western Province once more beginning on Monday, February 3.
