Inner-city player to become MCC Young Cricketer

As part of the ongoing Wisden City Cup, a promising young cricketer from outside the existing structure of the counties and ECB Premier Leagues will be fast-tracked into a potential career as a professional cricketer this summer.

The WCC was set up to foster the playing and watching of cricket in Britain's inner cities, with the initial competition held in North London. At the end of the current season, one member of the Leicester-London Combined XI that will play a Twenty20 against MCC Young Cricketers on Sunday September 11 at Grace Road will be picked to become an MCC Young Cricketer himself in 2012.

"The Wisden City Cup is doing some great work in reaching out to find undiscovered talent," said Mark Alleyne, the former England cricketer and current head coach of MCC who will select the lucky player.

"MCC Young Cricketers exists to identify promising players and support them through to the first-class game, so the coming together of the two is a perfect fit. I'm looking forward to seeing the ability on show this year and working with their best player next season."

The player picked will receive access to world-class facilities and top coaching at Lord's, and could also play in the Second Eleven Championship and Second Eleven Trophy, in which the MCC Young Cricketers take part. Recent alumni of the Young Cricketers programme include Darren Sammy, the current West Indies captain, Ross Taylor and Nottinghamshire's Alex Hales.