Luke Fletcher, Andy Carter and Alex Hales have been included in an extended England Performance Programme designed to aid the development of emerging talents in county cricket.

A total of 41 players have been divided into three categories of players and will encompass individuals who have represented England Under 19s and England Lions through to those who have already played Test cricket.

‘A’ graded players are those perceived to be closest to graduating into the England team and who have been part of the Programme and Lions teams in recent years. ‘B’ Group players are those with experience of First Class Cricket and perceived to be 1-3 years away from the England team. ‘C’ Group players are likely to be a little younger with less First Class County experience, many of whom have been part of the ECB Elite Player Development Programme.

The Notts trio have been included in Group ‘C’ and will attend a training camp at the National Cricket Performance Centre (NCPC) at Loughborough and at the CSA High Performance Centre in Pretoria, South Africa, December.

The players will work with Graham Gooch, Allan Donald and Saqlain Mushtaq, who will support the full-time coaching team of David Parsons, Kevin Shine, Dene Hills and Bruce French, at various stages throughout the camp.

Notts seamer Ryan Sidebottom will train in Pretoria alongside the players on the Performance Programme before joining up with the England senior side for the Test series in South Africa.

Commenting on the Programme, ECB Performance Director David Parsons said: “I am really excited about the depth of the programme we have put in place for our most talented young players this winter. We will be offering a greater range of training and support than before and have carefully tailored the programme to ensure that we can cater to the specific needs of individuals and their stages of development.

“To have access to former international players of the calibre of Graham Gooch, Allan Donald, and Saqlain Mushtaq, as well as the full-time ECB specialist coaching team, during the programme will be a tremendous asset, giving these young players the opportunity to learn from some of the very best in the world.

“To see eight players who were part of the England Performance Programme last winter selected for England’s tour of South Africa next month is a good indication of the importance of the programme for a player’s development. With players like Eoin Morgan, Jonathan Trott and Graham Onions having made an immediate impact in the international arena this summer, having spent time with EPP and England Lions squads recently, we are keen to identify other players within County Cricket who can make a difference to the full England side. “

‘A’ Players
Mark Davies (Durham), Amjad Khan (Kent), Stephen Moore (Lancashire), Michael Carberry (Hampshire)

‘B’ Players
Steven Finn (Middlesex), Andrew Gale (Yorkshire), Rory Hamilton-Brown (Sussex), Chris Jordan (Surrey), Chris Nash (Sussex), Joe Sayers (Yorkshire), Ajmal Shahzad (Yorkshire), James Taylor (Leicestershire), David Wainwright (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

‘C’ Players
Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire), Vikram Banerjee (Gloucestershire), Keith Barker (Warwickshire), William Beer (Sussex), Alex Blake (Kent), Andy Carter (Nottinghamshire), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Luke Fletcher (Nottinghamshire), Billy Godleman (Essex), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Richard Johnson (Warwickshire), Richard Jones (Worcestershire) , Adam Lyth (Yorkshire), Jake Mickleburgh (Essex), Sam Northeast (Kent), Ollie Rayner (Sussex), Ian Saxelby (Gloucestershire), John Simpson (Middlesex), Tom Smith (Middlesex), Max Waller (Somerset), Adam Wheater (Essex), David Willey (Northamptonshire)

Fast Bowling Programme
Jade Dernbach (Surrey), David Griffiths (Hampshire), James Harris (Glamorgan), Stuart Meaker (Surrey), Boyd Rankin (Warwickshire)