Dawson and Vince to line-up for England at Ageas Bowl

Liam Dawson and James Vince will be looking to help England to victory against Sri Lanka in tomorrow's one-off T20 clash at the Ageas Bowl (6.30pm).
Liam Dawson. Picture: Sarah StandingLiam Dawson. Picture: Sarah Standing
Liam Dawson. Picture: Sarah Standing

Skipper Eoin Morgan will be hoping the Hampshire duo can make the most of their home ground and givethe visitors a tough time.

Another exciting new addition to the England side will be Sussex paceman Tymal Mills.

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Morgan can’t wait to unleash one of the quickest bowlers he has ever faced on the T20 stage.

But he also issued a note of caution against overburdening the 23-year-old.

Mills’ congenital back condition limits his cricket career to T20.

But Morgan hailed his tenacity for striking the right balance of rest and effort to maximise his time on the square.

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‘I am excited, but at the same time you don’t want to get so excited you put the guy under pressure,’ said Morgan of Mills.

‘It’s quite a relaxed atmosphere within the changing room and we want it to continue like that.

‘Yes, we want to see him play for a long period of time.

‘But you want to stay relaxed and calm so that he’s in the same frame of mind as you are at the time.

‘I’ve faced him before, and I know exactly what he can do.

‘If he lives up expectations he’ll be pretty dangerous.’

Mills bullied Chris Gayle in action for Sussex against Somerset last month, eventually dismissing the West Indies star with a yorker that registered 93.3mph.

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England’s short-format captain Morgan sees no reason why Mills cannot repeat such blistering turns at international level.

But insisted his fitness must be the priority.

‘When you talk about 95 miles an hour it’s absolutely ridiculous, it’s like bowling off 15 yards,’ he said.

‘If you face it coming straight in it’s so difficult.

‘But if you face it after you’ve had a couple of balls you can cope with it a lot better.

‘Having someone in your team you can throw the ball to and someone who can just bowl that quick, that always causes problems and I think Mills is in that category.

‘I’d love it if he could bowl like that all the time, it would be great.

‘But the ability to bowl over 90 mph doesn’t come pretty easily.’

Dawid Malan is another player set for his England debut.