TOM Westley may have his face pressed up against the glass in Australia, stuck on the outside while England prepare for the Ashes, but the batsman is adamant he has an international future.
As planned, the 28-year-old will be in Brisbane for the first Test but, instead of lining up at number three at the Gabba facing the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, he will be part of the England Lions training camp.
The agony that came with an Ashes rejection following an underwhelming summer was only partly soothed by a Lions call-up but it does give the Essex right-hander a chance to show he has what it takes – something he has so far struggled to do.
Five Test matches against South Africa and West Indies in the summer brought just one half-century, making him the latest England top-three batsman unable to take his chance.
“I think five games is a long enough period to make an educated judgement on someone,” he said.
“But then in my first five games in county cricket I would probably have averaged under 30 as well and then I progressed significantly.
Denne historien er fra November 17, 2017-utgaven av The Cricket Paper.
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Denne historien er fra November 17, 2017-utgaven av The Cricket Paper.
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