JOE Clarke has been included in the England Lions squad for two winter training camps and matches against the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan.

Clarke has earned his third call-up for the Lions after a successful first full season with the bat for Worcestershire.

He topped the 1,000 run mark in Specsavers County Championship Division Two cricket this summer during the win over Sussex at Hove last week and has scored four centuries and a 98.

He previously played for the Lions during last winter's T20 and ODI Series against Pakistan A in UAE and this summer's Tri-Series versus Pakistan A and Sri Lanka A.

The Lions will have camps at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and the National Performance Centre, Loughborough, before heading off to Dubai in November-December.

They will play three 50 over matches against the UAE at the ICC Academy and a three day match against Afghanistan in Sharjah before a squad is selected for a tour of Sri Lanka in February and March.

Andy Flower will lead an 18-man squad and the England selectors have named a squad including two players who have featured in senior international cricket this summer and will be in the senior England squad for the one-day series in Bangladesh – Hampshire all-rounder Liam Dawson, and Nottinghamshire fast bowler Jake Ball.

In addition to Clarke, five other members of the squad played for England Lions in their successful Tri-Series against the A teams of Pakistan and Sri Lanka this summer – Kent’s Daniel Bell-Drummond, Toby Roland-Jones of Middlesex, Surrey’s Tom Curran and his younger brother Sam, who made his debut for the Lions in that series, as did Lancashire’s Liam Livingstone.

“This squad is for the first half of our Lions programme this winter,” said Flower.

“Firstly to build on some of the leadership work we did at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst last winter, which leads into a short camp at Loughborough, before we head out to Dubai later in November.

“We are taking 18 players because whereas last winter, and in our Tri-Series this summer, our focus was specifically on white-ball cricket, this year we will be working on both white-ball and red-ball skills.

"Developing skill will remain the highest priority of our work, with a range of specialist coaches to work with the players in the excellent facilities at the ICC Academy, and initially the opportunity to do that away from the different demands of competition.

"However towards the end of the camp we will play as England Lions in white-ball and red-ball fixtures, and an England Lions squad will then be selected later in December for a tour of Sri Lanka in February and March which will again involve white-ball and red-ball fixtures.”

England Lions: Nick Gubbins (Middlesex), Keaton Jennings (Durham), Tom Alsop (Hampshire), Daniel Bell-Drummond (Kent), Tom Westley (Essex), Joe Clarke (Worcestershire), Liam Livingstone (Lancashire), Ben Foakes (Surrey), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Ollie Rayner (Middlesex), Jack Leach (Somerset), Sam Curran (Surrey), Tom Curran (Surrey), Toby Roland-Jones (Middlesex), Jake Ball (Nottinghamshire), James Fuller (Middlesex), Craig Overton (Somerset), Stuart Meaker (Surrey).

* Tom Helm (Middlesex), Matt Parkinson (Lancashire) and Josh Poysden (Warwickshire) have been invited to join the Lions camp in Dubai.