Samit Patel could go from little known county player to £500,000 England cricketer in the space of four dizzying months.

A journey which began with Patel being named in a provisional party of 30 for the Champions Trophy should continue this week when the 23-year-old Notts all-rounder lines up against South Africa for the England Lions.

Good performances either at Leicester today or in Derby on Saturday will enhance Patel's chances of making a full England debut during the NatWest limited-overs series - starting with next Wednesday's Twenty20 match at Chester-le-Street - after his surprise inclusion in Kevin Pietersen's 15-man squad.

And the next big game on England's radar after that will be in Antigua on 1 November - the £10m, winner-takes-all contest against Sir Allen Stanford's 'Super Stars' which will be worth £500,000 to each member of the victorious side.

No wonder that Patel admits to feeling "a bit overwhelmed" by the speed of recent events.

"I've played U-15, U-17 and U-19 level for England so I see these two games for the Lions as the next step up the ladder," said Patel, whose aggressive batting and effective left-arm spin bowling makes him an ideal package for modern limited-overs cricket.

Among those he played with during the Under-19 World Cup were Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara and Luke Wright - all now oneday international regulars.

Their progress shows Patel what is possible, but first he must make a mark for the Lions against South Africa.

"It's always good to beat a touring team," said Patel. "We want to make sure we put them under a bit of pressure before next week."