Academy star Adam Shepherd is looking to build on his stunning season and cement his place in the England set-up after making his debut this year.

The 15-year-old bowling all-rounder was picked by England Under-15s as opening bowler in their matches against an ECB Regional XI.

He was named as the Under-15s best fielder and impressed enough to be selected for the Under-16s against Schools Sport Australia.

And Shepherd feels his game has moved up a level since going on the Notts Academy’s pre-season trip to the World Cricket Academy in Mumbai.

He said: “I’ve definitely felt that I’ve improved as a player. I’m bowling a lot quicker now and I seem to be getting more swing with my deliveries.

“I set out at the start of the season to try and be picked by England Under-15s, so to achieve that goal was a great honour.

“The games were played at Loughborough and that meant I got the chance to do some one-to-one work with Kevin Shine, who’s in charge of the fast bowling programme for the ECB.

“He gave me a lot of backing and was pleased to see that I’ve got a natural action for in-swing, as that’s something many batsmen don’t face very often.

His performances earned him the Notts Academy Most Improved Player award at the End of Season Gala Dinner and he added: “I’ve had a great year and am just trying to work hard over the winter and keep my place in the England Under-16s next season.”

Shepherd is pictured being presented with the A.A Thomson Fielding Award by ESCA’s Ken Lake.