He may only be 24, but cricketer Chris Edwards will lead his country out for a second time at a major tournament this summer – and will feel right at home in doing so.  

Earlier this month, Wallasey-born Edwards was named among the 15-man England squad for the INAS Learning Disability Tri-Series, supported by NatWest, which runs from July 9-21 in Cheshire.

The tournament will see England take on Australia and South Africa in the 40 over and T20 format at club grounds across Cheshire, with the hosts starting their campaign against the latter at Chester Boughton Hall Cricket Club on July 10.

Expectation levels with be high for the team with England having lifted the trophy on the two previous occasions in 2011 and 2015 and this year, Edwards has been entrusted with the task of leading England to a third successive tri-series title.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to go and defend our world title on home side and it’s a huge privilege to be captain again and take forward a fantastic bunch of lads,” he said.

“It’s a dream come true to have these opportunities that come on your doorstep. To have it in Cheshire is a fantastic opportunity to grow the sport not only in England, but in the county as well.

“Obviously there’s going to be a lot of support, but there’s also an added pressure to show how good you are in front of a home crowd.

“I think this tournament is going to be the toughest tri series yet. Australia are only going to get stronger and South Africa are going to be unknown territory. We’ve not played them for six years so we’re not quite sure what they’re going to bring.”

Characterised by his calm attitude on the field, Edwards has been involved in the national set up for nine years in what has been a successful career for the Wirral-based all-rounder.

“There have been quite a few highlights – my biggest was probably winning in Australia in 2015, when we won 5-1 and to take it as captain is probably my biggest achievement yet," the captain said. 

“It was the way we dominated the series as well – both in the 20 and 40-over format, only losing one game in the 40 over format, which justified how strong as a unit we were.”

While Edwards is now focusing on one of the biggest competitions of his career, he already has big plans once his playing days are over.

“I’d like to continue increasing the profile of the game – that’s one of my long term aims.

“All 15 of the England boys are going to be ambassadors of the disability team. We’ll see if we can take the sport to a global aspect and try and get more nations involved.

“But from an England perspective, my ultimate goal is continuing to win more tournaments and be dominant in leading the way in disability cricket.”

Edwards, who has been on the autism spectrum since the age of 3, started playing the sport as a five-year-old at school, before graduating to the county disability set up, as well as competing in some mainstream cricket.

And the England skipper insists that those with disabilities can benefit hugely from playing the sport.

“Cricket is a great social sport that can help people particularly with disabilities. It helps with social interaction and social communication – communication is one of the key factors in cricket.

“That for me is the most beneficial reason to play cricket – it’s not just a competitive sport but a social one too.”

To find out more about disability cricket or to follow the England Learning Disability squad’s progress during the INAS Tri-Series please visit ecb.co.uk