Emerging Talent to Watch: Archie Vaughan Set for U19 Test Debut
Archie Vaughan, the 18-year-old son of former England captain Michael Vaughan, is poised to make his highly anticipated U19 Test debut against Sri Lanka next week. The talented top-order batter and off-spinner has been named in a 14-man England U19 squad, which includes several familiar family connections, such as Rocky Flintoff, Farhan Ahmed, and Jaydn Denly.
Vaughan, who recently signed his first professional contract with Somerset, has been part of the county’s academy setup since 2020. Although he is yet to feature for the Somerset first team, he made a strong impression at the age-group level last week, scoring 85 runs off just 83 balls for a Young Lions Invitational XI in a warm-up match against the England U19 ODI squad, where Rocky Flintoff top-scored with a century.
“The upcoming U19 Tests at Wormsley (July 8-11) and Cheltenham (July 16-19) could see Vaughan and Flintoff play alongside each other, just as their fathers, Michael Vaughan and Andrew Flintoff, did in 48 Test matches between 1999 and 2008.”
The England U19 squad will be captained by Hamza Shaikh, who has previous experience in Youth Tests against Australia and is set to feature in a warm-up Test against the touring West Indians in Beckenham this week. Shaikh, who has already led Warwickshire’s second XI on several occasions this summer, is looking forward to the challenge of leading the team to a series win.
The squad is also bolstered by several players who have recently been in ODI action against Sri Lanka, including Kesh Fonseka, Noah Thain, and Freddie McCann, who made a match-winning 174 from 139 balls at Hove on Monday.
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