Mike Ellery has been named in England’s squad for the HSBC World Sevens Series.

With the matches taking place in Dubai, Cumbrian Ellery will be involved, while Olympic and Commonwealth medallist Dan Bibby is due to make his 50th appearance and Phil Burgess captains the side in the absence of Tom Mitchell. Mitchell has remained in England to continue his rehabilitation from injury.

Drawn in Pool D, England open up against Spain tomorrow before taking on Kenya and South Africa on Friday.

The event is also the first combined men’s and women’s tournament of the season and all matches will be shown live on Sky Sports Arena.

“We’re looking forward to getting our World Series campaign under way,” head of England Sevens Simon Amor told England Rugby’s website.

"At the back end of last season, we had virtually all of the squad out injured, and our medical and strength and conditioning team have done an unbelievable job in getting almost everyone back fit in time for the start of the World Series.

"This is, arguably, the most talented squad I’ve ever had with England sevens which is incredibly exciting for the season ahead.

"We’ll have some great players out there. However, with the lack of seven-v-seven training we’ve been able to do throughout pre-season due to the number of players coming back from injury, it’s unlikely we’ll be at our best.

"With [the] Tokyo [Olympics] being the goal at the end of the season, this will be a great first step for us to start on this journey.

"I’d also like to give a special mention to Dan Bibby who is in line to make his 50th appearance.

"It’s a fantastic achievement for a world-class player and he deserves to enjoy his moment."

Penrith-born Ellery, 28, was part of the England men’s rugby sevens team which won bronze at the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, Australia, last year. The side beat South Africa 21-14 after losing their semi-final against eventual champions New Zealand 17-12.

Mike’s sister, Megan, has represented England women’s rugby sevens team, too.