.England are considering a complete shake-up of their top order which could hand debuts to two batsmen in the first Test against Sri Lanka next month.
Even though the season is still in its infancy it has emerged England already have a firm idea of the team they want to step out at Headingley on May 19 and it could include new Test faces in the form of James Vince and Nick Browne.
The sad retirement of James Taylor leaves at least one vacancy in the middle order and the selectors are ready to make more changes to a batting line-up that misfired in South Africa even though England won the series 2-1.
Alastair Cook warned both in the aftermath of that series and at the start of the domestic season that batting places were up for grabs and it is now clear that Alex Hales and Nick Compton are under considerable pressure.
And unless the pair, who both under-achieved in South Africa, make a strong case for retention in the next two rounds of Championship matches then England could turn to the classy Vince and a surprise candidate in Essex opener Browne.
Compton, who did not convince he was any the less intense on his second coming as an England batsman, made a quiet start to the season for Middlesex against Warwickshire while Hales is resting until Notts' star-studded Division One match against Yorkshire at Trent Bridge on May 1.
Vince, highly regarded by England through limited-overs cricket and the Lions, is very much the coming man and now looks certain to get his chance in the Test game, probably at No 4 with Joe Root moving up to three.
The Hampshire captain made a century at Headingley this week against the best attack in the country in Yorkshire and looks ready, at 25, to fulfil the potential that once saw former England coach Duncan Fletcher compare him in style to Michael Vaughan.
Browne, at 25, is something of a late developer but made six first-class centuries last season and is highly regarded by his county colleague and fellow left-handed opener in England captain Cook.
No comments:
Post a Comment