Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali will join Andrew Flintoff on the England Lions coaching staff for a white ball series against Pakistan Shaheens in Abu Dhabi next month. The tour includes three Twenty20 matches and five fifty over games and brings competitive white ball cricket back to the Lions programme for the first time in three years.
England have leaned on county competitions, overseas franchise leagues and the under nineteen pathway for white ball development in recent seasons. The Abu Dhabi tour signals a shift, with the Lions playing their first Twenty20 series since late 2018 and their first fifty over fixture since a tour of Sri Lanka in early 2023.
Stokes, England’s Test captain, plans to use the tour as part of his recovery from the groin injury suffered while bowling in the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney earlier this month. He worked alongside Flintoff in a mentoring role at Northern Superchargers during the Hundred last summer and will link up with him again in Abu Dhabi.
Moeen, who on Wednesday reversed his retirement from English domestic cricket to join Yorkshire for the Twenty20 Blast, continues his move into coaching. Flintoff’s staff also includes Neil McKenzie, Sarah Taylor, Neil Killeen, Amar Rashid and Troy Cooley, recently reappointed as elite national pace bowling lead.
The sixteen man Twenty20 squad will be captained by Jordan Cox and includes Saqib Mahmood as he returns from knee surgery. Both players will be nearby should England require cover at the concurrent Twenty20 World Cup. Mahmood received his India visa last week, alongside fellow players of Pakistani heritage Adil Rashid and Rehan Ahmed.
James Coles, fresh from an impressive season with Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20, is included, while Nathan Sowter earns selection after strong form for Durham and Oval Invincibles. Tom Moores returns to the Lions set up following a productive season with Nottinghamshire and Trent Rockets.
Dan Mousley, capped seven times by England in the Caribbean late in 2024, will lead a seventeen man fifty over squad. Somerset wicketkeeper James Rew is named, along with Matthew Potts, who has the chance to respond after a difficult fifth Ashes Test at the SCG.
“It’s exciting to have such a strong England Lions squad selected,” Ed Barney, England’s performance director, said in a press release. “This group brings a real blend of proven performers, exciting talent who have performed over the winter and retains an eye on future best.
“With limited 50 over cricket on offer, this series combined with tours over the remainder of 2026 will give players the opportunity to develop and deliver as we build towards the 2027 ICC Men’s World Cup in South Africa.”
The Lions are scheduled to play two first class matches and three List A games against South Africa A in the home summer from late May. A warm up match against Sri Lanka follows ahead of another white ball tour in late September.
