The joys of cricket as a global sport mean that it's perpetually summer somewhere in the world and while in the UK the clocks went back last night in the Southern Hemisphere the days are getting longer and the weather warmer.

England begin their winter of cricket in New Zealand with a 5 match T20 series and a 2 game Test Series. The tour is important on 2 fronts, firstly because the T20 World Cup takes place this time next year in Australia and as current 50 over champions, England will fancy their chances in the 20 over format. Equally, this is an opportunity for new Head Coach, Chris Silverwood, to really make his mark on the team and look to add some consistency to the Test side in particular. England have selected a youthful-looking squad in both formats and this post will focus on the new names in the T20 side.

Tom Banton - Keeper / Batsmen

At just 20-years-old, Banton is arguably the most exciting young prospect on the County circuit certainly in the whiteball game. Only Pakistan star Babar Azam scored more runs in the T20 Blast for Somerset this year but Banton lead the way in both 4s and 6s. The high point of his T20 was a maiden century against Kent that came from just 50balls

His bottom hand grip has drawn comparisons to the likes of Jos Buttler and is born about as a result of him playing a lot of hockey in his youth. The power with which he hits the ball comes from remarkably fast hands while that grip allows him to reverse and switch-hit with ease. If that kind of natural talent can be harnessed and improved upon then you are looking at a player of the calibre of a Buttler or even AB De Villiers.

Banton also showed that he is a man for the big occasion by scoring a century in The Royal London Cup Q/F (50 overs) against Worcestshire and then 50s in the semi-final and final as Somerset romped to victory. Such a successful summer lead to Banton becoming one of the newly formed Hundred franchise Welsh Dragons local icon picks negating the need for him to go through the draft. He'll get the chance to line-up alongside the likes of Jonny Bairstow, Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc.

With Jason Roy rested, Banton looks likely to compete with Jonny Bairstow, James Vince and Joe Denly for an opening slot on the tour of New Zealand and in this morning's first warm-up game he made 11 from 7 balls alongside Bairstow as England cruised to victory against a New Zealand XI.

Pat Brown - Change-up Bowler

Brown exploded onto the T20 scene in England in 2018 when his variety of cutters and knuckleballs proved to be unplayable for batsmen up and down the country. He took 31 wickets across the season and played a crucial role in helping Worcestershire win Finals Day that year with 4-21 against Lancashire in the Semi-Final and miserly 0-15 from his 4 overs against Sussex in the final.

Brown was at it again this year as he pulled Worcestershire back from the brink of defeat against Notts in the semis. Needing just 11 from the last 12 balls and with 8 wickets in hand it seemed likely that the reigning champion's defence was about to come to an end but Brown took 3 wickets and conceded just 3 runs in the penultimate over with The Rapids ultimately winning by a run.

It was however noticeable that Brown's return in 2019 wasn't quite what it had been in 2018 sparking suggestions that batsmen around the country had worked him out a bit. At 21-years-old Brown still has a lot to learn but he is already demonstrated natural talent coupled with a penchant for the big occasion. With the likes of Archer, Plunkett, Wood and Willey all left back home, Brown will be competing with Tom Curran, Chris Jordan and fellow youngster Saqid Mahmood for a spot in the side.

Lewis Gregory - All-Rounder

Comparatively speaking Lewis Gregory at the age of 27 is the elder statesman of this list. However, as a former England U-19 captain, he has been on the radar for some time and but for a string of unfortunate injuries, there is a good chance that he would have been capped for his country by now. Gregory's bowling has traditionally been considered his primary skill and his strong action coupled with excellent accuracy mean that he has been a success across all formats for his county Somerset for several years. New Zealand's pitches might have a little bit in them at this time of year and so having a player like Gregory who can find movement upfront and then return to bowl yorkers at the death could be priceless.

As the clips above demonstrate, Gregory should also not be ignored with bat in hand and given England's attacking mindset they have generally picked players who can add depth to their batting line-up. With all-rounders like Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali and Chris Woakes not in the squad, Gregory is likely to get the chance to show what he is capable of.

The regard that he is held in across the county circuit was evident in the recent Hundred draft when former Kiwi captain Stephen Flemming paid £100k for his services at the Trent Rockets next summer. While Gregory is inexperienced at this level he is the current captain of the Somerset's T20 side and is likely to be a big presence in a changing room that has a lot of new faces in it.

Saqib Mahmood - Fast Bowler

England's medium-term goal in Test cricket is to challenge Australia in Australia with a barrage of genuinely quick bowlers. Joffra Archer has now emerged as the prime candidate to lead that attack but he will, of course, require some assistance and Lancashire's Saqib Mahmood is the name that many people are talking about as a potential England star in all formats.

Mahmood has a strong powerful action with a fast arm and the kind of wrist control that is characteristic of so many sub-continent quicks (Mahmood's parents are from Pakistan). It allows him to generate pace upto the 90mph mark while extracting movement off the pitch and perhaps most importantly late swing which in white ball cricket has allowed him to bowl some devastating spells in the later overs.

Mahmood has also been included in the Test squad for the New Zealand tour so these initial T20 matches are a great chance for him to prove that he has the temperament to play at the very highest level of the game.

Matt Parkinson - Leg-Spinner

Another very promising young bowler who is also part of both the T20 & Test squads to New Zealand is Lancashire's leg-spinner Matt Parkinson. There is no doubt as to the importance of wrist spin in the modern white ball game and Parkinson has been one of the country's most consistent threats since making his debut in 2016. From then he has taken 60 wickets in just 36 games with a strike rate of a wicket every 13 balls.

While Adil Rasid remains with the squad and has been a crucial member of the side over the past 4 years, his return in the World Cup was limited and he carried a shoulder injury for much of the tournament. While Parkinson has a lot to do to dislodge Rashid from the 11, his inclusion can allow England to rotate as well as plan for the future. Of course, a world-class leggie who could play in all formats of the game would be a real game-changer for English cricket, particularly when touring abroad.

The first T20 match begins this Friday ...

Cricket / saqib mahmood

England's Young Blood

England's Young Blood

England's Young Blood