The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Thursday announced that the England Lions tour of the United Arab Emirates to be held next month will have former Test batsman Graham Thorpe as its bating coach.

This coaching team, which is to be coached by Thorpe (who has been batting coach for Surrey since 2008), will also have David Parsons, ECB Performance Director, and fast bowling specialist Kevin Shine.

Three T20 matches against Pakistan A, T20 matches against the UAE and England and three 50-over fixtures against Pakistan A at the DSC Stadium, Dubai, will be contested by the Lions, England's development side.

Thorpe, who averaged just under 45 in 100 Tests for England told that he was excited for the tour.

He expressed, “It's a great opportunity for me and I'm grateful to Surrey for giving me the freedom to take it on. Over the course of my time with the team I hope that I can offer them some good advice and be someone they learn a lot from.”

Parsons added that he has no doubt that the squad of aspiring England players will benefit from Graham's experiences both as a hugely successful international cricketer and now a coach.

“We will face some tough opposition during our tour of the UAE and the coaching team will be working hard to ensure that we are well prepared.”