Rocky Flintoff Jr. Called Up to England Under-19 Squad

Rocky Flintoff, the 16-year-old son of former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, has been selected for the England Under-19 squad for their upcoming three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. Despite his young age, Flintoff has impressed for Lancashire 2nd XI this season, making his debut two days after his 16th birthday and scoring a maiden century in April.

The U19 squad boasts several other family connections. Essex all-rounder Luc Benkenstein, son of former South Africa batter and current Lancashire head coach Dale Benkenstein, will captain the team. Offspinner Farhan Ahmed, younger brother of England international Rehan Ahmed, has also been included after signing his first professional contract with Nottinghamshire. Durham wicketkeeper Haydon Mustard, whose father Phil earned 12 white-ball caps with England, and Somerset's Thomas Rew, another keeper-batter and the younger brother of the highly touted James Rew, have also been selected.

Nine players from the squad represented England at the U19 World Cup in South Africa earlier this year, where they finished sixth overall. However, Ben McKinney, who captained the team at the World Cup, and Hamza Shaikh were not considered for selection as they are likely to play for a County Select XI against West Indies in a three-day match.

England Men Under-19s coach Mike Yardy expressed excitement about the squad, saying, "We have selected an exciting squad for the series, with a blend of some players who are currently playing in the Vitality Blast and some younger players for whom it will be their first time in an Under-19s squad."

The squad for the two-match Youth Test series with Sri Lanka will be announced later this month.

Tags: #RockyFlintoff, #EnglandU19, #SriLanka, #YouthODI, #FamilyConnections