Tribe closer to England ambition after Lions call-up

Asa Tribe says his England Lions call-up is the next step towards his dream of achieving full international honours.

The 21-year-old Glamorgan batter and Jersey international will tour Australia with the Lions alongside the senior England team this winter.

England's only pre-Ashes warm-up match in Australia will be against the Lions in a three-day game a week before the first Test in Perth.

"This is certainly going to be quite the level up and quite a transition that I'm going to have to make if I want to play international cricket for England," Tribe told BBC Radio Jersey.

"It's not going to be an easy challenge and it's nice that the the hard work has got me here so far, and it's not been plain sailing by any stretch of the imagination.

"But it all kind of starts now I think, where it really starts getting a bit tricky."

Asa Tribe has signed a new deal to stay at Glamorgan until the end of next year

Tribe's form over the past few month has propelled him into England contention.

Despite playing internationally for Jersey, he can make a switch to England as they are full members of the ICC, rather than his home island which is an associate member.

Like England Lions team-mate Emilio Gay, who played for Italy this summer, Tribe is still eligible to play for Jersey - who he helped come close to qualifying for next year's T20 World Cup - until he makes an appearance for the senior England side.

Tribe has been picked up by Paarl Royals in the South African T20 tournament this winter, as well as getting a deal to play grade cricket in Australia.

He scored a career-best 206 for Glamorgan last month in a run of form that saw him hit four centuries in six games for the Welsh side and Jersey in the ICC Challenge League.

"I've never been someone who's happy to stagnate and be in the same place, so I've got to England Lions at quite a young age," he added.

"I feel that I've got enough time to take my game to the next level without it being a case of it needs to happen straight away.

"I definitely have the ambition that I'm going to be one of England's players and hopefully regulars."

Tribe hit 175 for Jersey against Papua New Guinea in August - his highest ever score - until he struck 206 for Glamorgan less than a fortnight later

Tribe is one of two Glamorgan players to be selected for the tour, alongside Ben Kellaway.

The Jerseyman found out about the news on Friday - although he said it took him a while to work out if the call from England Lions coach Andrew Flintoff was genuine after a series of missed calls between the two.

"I had to check, because I didn't have the number saved, so I had to check that it was definitely Freddie, and that took a couple of goes before I recognised his voice.

"Then I was mightily stoked and really happy to get that phone call because I spoke to Ben Kellaway at lunchtime, and in the morning he found out so I found out a bit later on but very, very happy.

"My mum and dad were present with me when I made the phone call," he added.

"He phoned me at 11 and I was on the field, so I didn't see that I'd had a missed call until the end of play.

"Then I tried phoning him back, he didn't pick up, he then phoned me back and I didn't pick up - so it was the fourth call that we had between each other that he picked up and mum and dad were listening, I had it on in the speaker in the car, so they were very happy."

Tribe had never played a game outside of Jersey until he left the island to study in Cardiff when he was 18.

While he was known as a talented player on his home island, he says he would have never believed that he would have got to where he is now when he first left home.

"If I was looking in the future and you told me this would be where I am, even if you told me that six months ago, I'd still be surprised," he said.

"It was only sort of the last month where I heard, not concrete evidence, but people saying 'you've got a pretty good chance'.

"I think everything has led up to this point and it's not just been that in the here and now that's got me here.

"It's those periods of bad form where I've made a lot of learning, it's been periods of good form that have got me noticed and all the journeys got me here.

"It's not one clear point that's made me the cricketer I am now, it's hard work over that long period of time."