Quartet of county cricket stars given chance to impress England selectors

Ed Smith hailed England’s ‘exciting next generation’ after eight uncapped players were named in a 30-man red-ball training party yesterday.

The elite group will next week begin preparing for the Test series against West Indies that launches cricket’s decimated summer.

Dan Lawrence, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi and James Bracey are involved in the senior set-up for the first time in any format while Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Matt Parkinson and Lewis Gregory have featured without yet playing Test cricket.

Essex batsman Dan Lawrence will be hoping to make the step up from the Lions to senior team

Sussex pace bowler Ollie Robinson will be hoping for a chance after impressing for the Lions

It is the outstanding success of Essex batsman Lawrence and Sussex bowler Robinson in particular in England Lions’ first triumph over Australia A during the winter that has convinced national selector Smith the Test future is becoming ever brighter.

‘It was very exciting to watch the tour in Australia and see players coming through who we believe will be making a big claim for selection,’ said Smith.

‘To watch how the Lions played at the MCG and throughout that tour showed we have players with the character to be a good fit for international cricket.’

There is no bigger character among the emerging group than the 22-year-old Lawrence, who made a century in only his second championship appearance aged 17 and showed he is ready to deliver on that early promise by dominating in Australia.

Bracey keeps wicket in training with the England Lions side. He is also a top four batsman

Lawrence, a wristy leg-side dominant batsman, is highly regarded by England and former Essex coach Chris Silverwood and will be in contention for the first Test should captain Joe Root be ruled out by the imminent birth of his second child.

Robinson, 26, was once released by Yorkshire over concerns about his attitude but has flourished at Sussex in taking 145 first-class wickets over the last two seasons and returned match figures of seven for 147 at the MCG.

Bracey, 22, a top-order batsman and keeper, is bidding to become the first Gloucestershire player to make a full England debut since Jon Lewis 15 years ago and Surrey’s Virdi, 21, has overcome issues with his fitness and action to become the best young spinner in the country.

Surrey’s Amar Virdi is one of the best spinners in the County Championship

Another spinner back in the Test frame is Moeen Ali, who has made himself available in all formats after turning down chances to end his self-imposed Test absence in South Africa and Sri Lanka.

‘Moeen is a valued member of the England set-up and has been a significant contributor across all formats,’ said Smith. ‘We’ve had a number of conversations and Moeen has indicated he wants to be considered in all formats and that’s good news.’

But there was less good news for Jonny Bairstow, with Smith intimating that his best hopes of a return to the Test side remain as a specialist batsman rather than his preferred keeper-batsman role.

The 30 players will gather at the Ageas Bowl to live and train next Tuesday before starting a three-day inter-squad game on July 1. An enlarged first Test squad complete with reserves who will remain in the ‘bubble’ will be named after that. 

England red-ball training squad: Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Dom Bess, James Bracey, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Ben Foakes, Lewis Gregory, Keaton Jennings, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Craig Overton, Jamie Overton, Matt Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Amar Virdi, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.