WORCESTERSHIRE academy batsman Jack Haynes will captain the England and Wales Cricket Board under 16 squad for the tour of Sri Lanka next spring.

There is also a call-up for County satellite academy all-rounder Xavier Clarke, the younger brother of first XI ace Joe Clarke.

The duo were chosen after being selected for the Best of Bunburys match at Loughborough following fine displays for the Midlands side in the main under 15s festival at Radley College.

Haynes captained the Bunburys in 2015 as an under 14 player and earned a second call-up for this summer’s festival when the Midlands won the T20 competition.

He plays club cricket for Ombersley and was in the County’s 2015-2016 academy intake.

Leg-spinner and top-order batsman Clarke, who plays for Oswestry, is part of the satellite academy in Shropshire under former County paceman Paul Pridgeon.

The tour of Sri Lanka runs from March 23 until April 2.

ECB national performance manager David Graveney said: “The quality of players, not only involved in the Best of Bunburys fixture but also the overall quality of regional cricket this year, was extremely high and gave the selectors much to deliberate.”

Meanwhile, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Ed Barnard and Alex Hepburn were the first Worcestershire players to taste action this winter in Australia.

Kohler-Cadmore is playing for Penrith Panthers for a second successive winter after topping the averages with 533 runs at an average of 59.22 during 2015-2016.

They are playing in the New South Wales Premier first grade competition.

Barnard and Hepburn will both be competing in the Western Australia Cricket Association first grade for Scarborough and Willetton respectively.

Barnard played two winters ago for Queanbeyan District.

Hepburn, who recently signed a new one-year contract at New Road, has played for Willetton for several seasons.

Several more County players will be travelling Down Under in the next few days to play grade cricket through to the end of February.

George Rhodes (Tee Tree Gully in Perth), new skipper Joe Leach (North Canberra Gungahlin), Charlie Morris (Tuggeranong in Canberra) and Ben Twohig (East Torrens in Adelaide) have been confirmed.

Wicketkeeper Ben Cox and batsman Ross Whiteley could also return for further spells in Australia.

Cox previously played alongside Jack Shantry for Greenvale Kangaroos in 2014-2015 and Whiteley has been a regular member of the Prospect side for several years.