Eastcote Cricket Club's Christopher James has been plucked from West London to form part of the famous Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) touring party to Thailand.
MCC will play a variety of 50 and 20-over fixtures during the trip and James, along with the rest of the squad, will arrive in Bangkok later this week.
The Hillingdon resident forms part of a strong MCC squad, captained by Burnley Cricket Club's Chris Holt, which includes representatives from around the UK, including Oxfordshire, South Wales and the North-West.
MCC Head of Cricket, John Stephenson, said: “The aim of our overseas tours is to maximise the Club’s impact and effectiveness in widening cricket’s international appeal.
“Cricket tours provide a valuable opportunity for cricketers from both the touring side and the host country to broaden their cricket experience. MCC’s tour to Thailand will see the Club’s Playing Members face unfamiliar conditions whilst exposing Thai cricketers to different techniques and playing styles.”
The tour will open with a 50-over match against a Thailand XI, at the Terdthai Cricket Ground in Lat Krabang, towards the east of the city.
The twelve-day trip is the last of four overseas tours which have taken place this year, following trips to Brazil and Chile, Sweden and Kenya.
Two further 50-over matches against the same opposition will bookend a T20 match against a Thailand Invitational XI.
The squad will then depart for Chiang Mai, in the north of the country, where they will play 50 overs a side against a Chiang Mai XI at the Prem Tinsulanonda International School Ground.
Their final match will be against a Chiang Mai Lanna Cricket Club at the historic Chiang Mai Gymkhana Club, which has hosted cricket since 1899.
During the course of the tour, the squad will undertake coaching sessions with local youth cricketers and schoolchildren.
The tour will be managed by Dean Morrison, an Australian-born batsman who went on to represent Jersey in ICC tournaments. H
He has been MCC’s Channel Islands Tour Manager since 2015, and also managed the Club’s tour to Uganda in 2013.
Chris Holt, who plays for Burnley Cricket Club in the Lancashire League, will captain the MCC squad which includes representatives from around the UK, including Oxfordshire, South Wales and the North-West.
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