Milner to captain England

The Sussex seniors manager will take charge of his country as they compete against the men from Down Under in a series that will mirror The Ashes in August.

It is the first series for the over-70s in England following the success of the ten-match series, between 2009 and 2012, in which the two sides faced each other.

Milner, 72, who is a right-arm swing bowler and a useful lower order batsman, will skipper and manage the side.

He said “It is a great honour to have been selected the captain of the England 70-plus side and we hope to emulate the full England side and be number one in the world for 70-plus cricket. We have a great all-round squad and are looking forward to wearing the England shirt and cap.”

The opening 50-overs-a-side match takes place at Hursley Park, Winchester, on August 15. They are then at Three Bridges on August 18, before the final match at Sunbury-on-Thames on August 22.

The squad has been drawn from the Spitfire Championship counties of Berkshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex and Worcestershire.

Milner started playing cricket for Puddletown’s men’s team at the age of ten, before playing for Dorchester and has been at Littlehampton since 1966. He has since been chairman at the club – a role he did for 24 years – along with a 30-year spell as treasurer.