Asa Tribe (L) and Ben Kellaway helped Glamorgan win County Championship promotion last season. Glamorgan pair Asa Tribe and Ben Kellaway will aim to kick on towards senior England honours this summer after tasting life with the second-string Lions.

Tribe hit 100 against Australia A in their four-day encounter and could come into contention for a Test opening spot if he can carry his form into the first division of the Championship. Meanwhile Kellaway's ambidextrous spin and hard-hitting middle order batting could appeal to England selectors not afraid to embrace the off-beat in recent years.

The 22-year-old duo are both possible contenders to break a two-decade drought of Glamorgan players in a senior England shirt, since injury ended Simon Jones' international career. Tribe's claims to open the batting have been backed by former England captain and opener Mike Atherton, writing in the Times.

But after impressing in their first full seasons with Glamorgan, Tribe and Kellaway know they will have to produce the figures again in Division One of the Championship if they are to continue to rise.

"It can happen for you so quickly in cricket and that's what's happened for me, it's been a very good experience for me with the Lions and Paarl Royals [South Africa]," said Tribe, who was also with the Lions facing Pakistan Shaheens in the UAE before global conflict cut the tour short. "When you're in an environment that's so competitive at a much higher intensity then you can make those strides quicker and I've been blessed with the opportunity.

"I've always had self-confidence though, England A is a big step up and it's only one step off the main side especially when you're touring alongside them. I try not to get into [speculation about England], there'll always be a bit of hype around certain players. It would be a great opportunity [if it happens] and one I've looked at for a while, not necessarily thinking I was that close, but I certainly feel a lot closer to it now. I'd be more than happy to start the season nicely with Glamorgan and then get an England call-up."

The only downside for the Jersey product, who already has plenty of international caps for his native island, would be having to put that on hold. "I'd have to wait three years [after any England appearances] to come back round for Jersey, but I'd be happy to make that sacrifice," said Tribe.

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Kellaway hit an England Lions half-century in Australia in the squad coached by Andrew Flintoff, and although he could not win a place for their white-ball encounters with Pakistan, he did have a Lions training camp in India and a brief franchise UAE visit with Gulf Giants, alongside new county team-mate Sean Dickson.

"It was a great winter, to get away with the Lions for that first Australia block was an awesome experience and then after I went to a training camp in India, completely different conditions, but even more invaluable experience," Kellaway reflected. "I've worked with a lot of new [coaching] faces and come across some amazing coaches. It's one of the main goals of my career to represent England, but I'm taking it step by step and that Lions tour was the first step for me."

Chepstow product Kellaway is aware of the significance of a Glamorgan player being recognised by England at last. "Whatever happens, maybe not this summer, but in years to come, representing England would be an absolute honour, but for now it's about focusing on Glammy and Division One," he said. "I'm going to try to replicate [my form] last year, but it's a new challenge against sides we haven't played a lot in red-ball cricket. From a team perspective our main goal is to compete and keep ourselves in Division One because that's where we should be as a club."

Richard Dawson was appointed head coach of Glamorgan in January 2025. Glamorgan coach Richard Dawson has had the chance to monitor his young guns' progress at close quarters as part of the England Lions' staff himself. "They've had a really interesting winter with that Lions trip to Australia, a great experience in different conditions against good cricketers and seeing international cricket close up with the England squad," said Dawson. "Asa then played franchise cricket in South Africa, but they're still learning their game and they're keen to keep on improving."

England may have had a penchant for left-field selections such as Jacob Bethell and Shoaib Bashir without a consistent county record, with varying degrees of success, but Dawson is a believer in the importance of those county statistics.

"As a player, you've got to get runs and wickets and people sit up and take note. If you're doing it in a winning side, people sit up a bit more so that's my job. But people will pick squads how they see fit," he said. "Some seasons you might have 10 or 12 players going for one [England] spot so you've got to be the one that stands out. Asa and Ben played well and went on Lions tours."

While international recognition for Tribe or Kellaway this summer would leave a hole in a Glamorgan side already facing fierce challenges, it would end an embarrassing drought for the county in producing players for a higher level.

BBC Sport Online will have live ball-by-ball commentary and reports on Glamorgan versus Yorkshire from Friday, 3 April, and all subsequent Championship matches.