A Brentwood School cricketer will be competing in the Cricket World Cup in Australia next month.

Kishen Velani, 17, who plays for the school and Essex 2nd XI, has been selected for the England Under-19s squad.

He said: “I was a bit shocked as I did not really expect to go.” He will be flying to Australia later this month before the competition begins.

The England and Wales Cricket Board announced the England squad for the the tournament last week.

The England team will begin with a game against Australia on August 11 before playing Ireland and Nepal in the other group stage matches.

They could then go on to face one of 12 other countries in the latter stages of the competition.

Headmaster Ian Davies said the school was proud of Kishen’s achievements and wished him every success in the competition.

He said: “Kishen is currently studying for a full set of A levels, and we anticipate good results for him in Summer 2013.

“Kishen’s ability to manage the heavy workload of A levels and achieve such success on the cricket field is to be applauded.”

Kishen, a right-arm medium bowler, played for the England Under-19 side earlier this year when they toured Bangladesh.