Mark Footitt has been named in England’s 14-man squad for a pre-Ashes training camp in Spain, taking place from Saturday 27 June.
The left-arm paceman, who ended the 2014 season as the country’s leading wicket taker, will join the pre-Ashes party for the four-day training camp with England Head Coach Trevor Bayliss.
The 28-year-old was the county’s standout seamer last summer, claiming 106 wickets in all competitions, the most by a Derbyshire bowler since Brian Jackson and Harold Rhodes in 1965.
Footitt has continued to lead the way with the ball in 2015, claiming 32 wickets in eight first-class appearances this summer, at 24 apiece.
The final squad for the first Investec Ashes Test, to take place at Cardiff on Wednesday 8 July, will be announced within a few of days after the conclusion of the camp.
Footitt said: “It’s nice to receive this level of recognition for the hard work over the last 18 months.
“It’s a great opportunity for me to show the England coaching staff first-hand what I am about and I hope I can impress and stake my claim for a place in the final Ashes squad.
“International cricket is massive and I think if you ask any county cricketer they would want to play for England. It would be an honour to get a chance to represent my country in the Ashes.”
Andrew Strauss, Director of England cricket, added: “With Trevor Bayliss arriving in the country next Thursday, Trevor, Alastair and I felt it important that both players and management likely to be involved in the early stages of the Investec Ashes have chance to meet him and fully understand his approach prior to meeting up for the start of the Test series.
“With that in mind, we have arranged a preparation camp in Spain. This will involve a combination of physical and fielding sessions and planning meetings in an informal environment in order to provide the best possible lead up to the first Test in Cardiff.”
Pre-Ashes training camp squad
Alastair Cook (Essex)
Moeen Ali (Worcestershire)
James Anderson (Lancashire)
Gary Ballance (Yorkshire)
Ian Bell (Warwickshire)
Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)
Jos Buttler (Lancashire)
Steven Finn (Middlesex)
Mark Footitt (Derbyshire)
Adam Lyth (Yorkshire)
Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire)
Joe Root (Yorkshire)
Ben Stokes (Durham)
Mark Wood (Durham)
