Notts and England U19s coach Paul Franks has praised the talent and adaptability of the Young Lions group following their subcontinental tour of India. 

The quadrangular series against two India teams and Bangladesh - which preceded the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup scheduled for the new year - saw England collect three wins from six games at the Mulapadu International Cricket Stadium in Andhra Pranesh. 

It is the approach of those on the tour and their desire to better themselves which gave Franks particular cause for optimism, whilst he was also able to reflect on his own contributions to England’s next-gen. 

“As a group we have got some really talented boys who played some excellent cricket,” Franks summarised. 

“The boys just wanted to learn; they see India as a global superpower of cricket and they want to play well there. It was a case of reacting to what we were seeing and doing. We saw some good signs of that as the time went on. 

“They proved they are fiercely competitive and they want to win. Not as a set of individuals but a group of guys with their sights set on something bigger than themselves. 

“Even though all the players want to raise their own individual profile - and there is nothing wrong with that - it is as much about them buying into what the head coach and the ECB want for this group over the course of the winter - to make progress towards the World Cup.”

With the tour being England’s final opportunity to prepare themselves ahead of the global tournament, it was paramount that those touring for the first time familiarised themselves with staff and teammates. 

That includes Franks who was with the group for the first time, and will be travelling to South Africa for the World Cup in January. 

“I think the lads were very open and that helped me,” he reflected. 

“I consider myself to be decent at building relationships. I had time in my schedule to work with the quick bowlers, discuss their plans and how they were preparing.

“I have to remember that it is subtly different to being at Notts - there I am working with rookies who are at the early part of their journey. They are young and very aspirational. 

“Trying to get some insight early is important, understanding what floats their boat away from cricket, so that you can have a conversation with them over breakfast, having coffee or on the way to the ground. Having that healthy laugh about when their football team gets beaten helps to break the ice. 

“You don’t want them to feel like you’re overbearing; rather slowly you make yourself available and you get to a point where the channels of communication are open.”

Franks was also able to see his Notts Second XI off-spinner Farhan Ahmed tour with England for the first time with the youngster included in the group.

The 15-year-old proved economical and collected a handful of wickets on Indian surfaces. 

He has since been included for the 15-man World Cup squad for the new year, and for Franks there is no doubt about his game-changing potential, wherever he plays, while he has embraced being out of his comfort zone. 

“I was interested to see how he would be away from Notts because I’d only seen him here,” Franks admitted, “And I was excited to see how he would handle playing in India against good players of spin. 

“He took it in his stride as a young man. For Nottinghamshire moving forward it is great to see. I am interested in his next step in South Africa now - that will be a different challenge but he can go on to influence games. 

“We’ve seen him do that wherever he has gone. He has found a way to compete, he is driven and that came through in abundance.

“He shows that if you are prepared to put yourself out there, where there is no familiarity, where all of your skills will be scrutinised with a new lens, you are going to face a different challenge and reap the benefits.”