It was a proud day for Worcestershire batter Jack Haynes, who has been awarded his first England Lions Test cap.
Haynes received the cap from former England star Ian Bell ahead of the first four-day encounter with Sri Lanka ‘A’ at the Galle International Stadium.
Bell scored 7,727 Test runs for England at an average of 42.69, spanning 118 Tests and is one of the Lions batting coaches on this trip alongside Jim Troughton.
Haynes earned his opportunity after scoring 64 not out and 51 during the three-day warm-up game against a Sri Lanka Board XI in Colombo.
He said: “Ian Bell was a great player over many years for England, and to receive my Lions Test cap from him was a great moment for me.
“I was proud to represent England at Under-19 level in a World Cup, and this also means a lot.”
Haynes saw his Lions teammates dominate the opening day, with Sri Lanka A bowled out for 136 in just 35.4 overs after choosing to bat.
Matthew Fisher (5-34) and Liam Patterson-White (3-51) inflicted most of the damage with the ball for the Lions.
Alex Lees (56), Haseeb Hameed (81) and Tom Haines (62 not out) helped the Lions reach 249-3 by the close.
Haynes is listed at number six in the batting order and is scheduled to bat at the fall of the next wicket.
His Worcestershire teammate Josh Tongue picked up four wickets against the Board XI but was not named in the side for the opening Test.
