Nottinghamshire fast bowler Jake Ball has been included in the England Under 19s squad to face Sri Lanka in a two-Test series.

Ball took a wicket on his Notts debut in lasts season’s Pro40 defeat at Sussex and spent the winter at Darren Lehmann’s academy in Adelaide.

“Wearing an England shirt at any level means a lot and this will be a good challenge for me,” said Ball.

“My main aim is to force my way into the Notts team in all forms of cricket and this selection is big boost and shows that good performances get noticed.”

Notts Academy Director Chris Tolley has tipped Ball to make an impact in first class cricket if he can maintain his progress.

“Jake has taken huge strides forwards over the past 12 months and he came back from Australia with more physical strength and a more confident approach which has served him well,” he said.

“This selection will give him an opportunity to assess where he’s at in relation to his peers and he’ll be keen to push his case for a place in the England age group limited overs squad.”

Northampton and Scarborough are the venues for the Test fixtures.

England U19s Test squad
Adam Ball (Kent)
Jacob Ball (Nottinghamshire)
Michael Bates (Hampshire)
Daniel Bell-Drummond (Kent)
Paul Best (Warwickshire)
Matthew Dunn (Surrey)
Lewis Gregory (Somerset)
Ateeq Javid (Warwickshire)
Jack Manuel (Worcestershire)
David Payne (Gloucestershire)
Azeem Rafiq (Yorkshire)
Joe Root (Yorkshire)
Atif Sheikh (Derbyshire)
Luke Wells (Sussex)

Fixtures
21-24 July Test vs Sri Lanka U19s Northampton
27-30 July Test vs Sri Lanka U19s Scarborough