Australia-born Sam Robson is in line to make his England debut after the Middlesex opener was named in the squad to play Sri Lanka in next week’s first Test at his Lord’s home ground.
Robson was one of three uncapped players named by national selector James Whitaker in a 12-man group along with allrounder Chris Jordan, who impressed during the recent 3-2 one-day series defeat against Sri Lanka, and Moeen Ali, who provides England with their lone spin option.
Yorkshire seamer Liam Plunkett was recalled having last played Test cricket seven years ago.
Matt Prior, who has been struggling with an achilles injury, was passed fit to keep wicket.
And that meant there was no place for Jos Buttler, who made a blistering century for England against Sri Lanka in the fourth one-day international at Lord’s on Saturday or Jonny Bairstow, the man who replaced Prior during England’s 5-0 Ashes series loss in Australia.
England national selector James Whitaker said: “We believe that this group of emerging talent will be very well complemented by the established core of experienced players that have been selected.”
Robson, the son of an English-born mother, is set to open alongside England captain Alastair Cook after Michael Carberry was dropped in what was Peter Moores’s first Test squad since he returned to the job of England coach.
He impressed on recent England second-string tours of Australia and Sri Lanka, making five hundreds in six matches while his coach at Middlesex, Angus Fraser, is now a Test selector.
Robson, an Australia Under-19 international who also played for Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs club, headed to London soon after leaving school.
Last year, Cricket Australia brought in the so-called ‘Robson rule’ allowing dual passport-holders to play domestic matches in more than one country.
But Robson, whose Middlesex captain is Australia opener Chris Rodgers, insisted in April he felt no conflict of loyalties.
“Middlesex is where I’ve learnt to play first-class cricket,” he explained at the time.
“I committed simply by coming in the first place, signing up and giving up opportunities in Australia when I was very young. So from then on my focus has always been here.”
England, with pace bowling allrounder Ben Stokes deemed not to have had enough bowling following injury, also included Chris Woakes in their squad for the first of a two-Test series.
England squad: Alastair Cook (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Matt Prior, Sam Robson, Joe Root, Chris Woakes
Beauty of a geek brains of a bimbo(atgm)
Guest
https://mobile.twitter.com/LiebCricket/status/477048870736642049/photo/1
AlanKC
Guest
I hope Robson goes well and good luck to him in staying in Cook's good books.
Beauty of a geek brains of a bimbo(atgm)
Guest
My prediction:Lakmal will do well in the series.series will end 1-1
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
...an easy introduction to Test cricket thanks to Sri Lanka's toothless pace attack. I think he'll do really well. He has an uncomplicated game, plays to his strengths and is very patient.
Pom in Oz
Roar Guru
Knighthood :)
Beauty of a geek brains of a bimbo(atgm)
Guest
Haha Cheers mate!
Nudge
Guest
Absolute bloody cracker ATGM. That's one of your best. I'm boarding Qantas.
Beauty of a geek brains of a bimbo(atgm)
Guest
Complete the sentence: robson get ready for a.............
Beauty of a geek brains of a bimbo(atgm)
Guest
Great scenes here as the English Team head out for the First Test.https://mobile.twitter.com/notdekock/status/474537668479840257/photo/1
Nudge
Guest
Or some good Aussie humour
Nanny Plum
Guest
Shame Moeen Ali is from Birmingham and Patel from Leicester. But hey, don't let that get in the way of your ignorance.
Dizzy Tangles
Guest
The poaching never stops! :)
JimmyB
Guest
Fair enough mate. Carry on.
Bearfax
Roar Guru
Gotta indulge in it while you've got it. You're right. A year from now England might be back on top. But not today
bucko
Guest
If stokes was named in the team it could have been the world xi. You'd have; cook (England), Robson (aus), Bell (eng), ballance (Zimbabwe), moeen (pak), prior (rsa), stokes (nz), Jordan (wi), ((Rankin - Ireland)), Anderson, woakes & broad (eng). Patel (Ind). Haha
JimmyB
Guest
Good onya Bearfax, up until 6 months ago the Aussie team was on the wane, now they're number 1 again. I'm not suggesting that England are going to be number 1 anytime soon, but sport is a funny thing and circumstances change pretty quickly.
Lachlan Doyle
Roar Pro
Robson + Aussie Bowling attack = Bouncers!
Bearfax
Roar Guru
England seems on the wane at present so I guess they've got to grab whatever talent is coming through. Good luck to Robson because I think he's assured of a place in the English team. I wonder if he would have had the same chances in Australia now that Warner has found his niche, Silk is maybe on the rise, Hughes could yet be a top test cricketer, and there are a couple of other young batsmen on the rise who could contest the opening and No 3 spots. Seems NSW is not only bolstering up a couple of the other state teams but now the English side.
Bazza
Guest
good on him.....
JohnB
Guest
Therefore much more accurate to refer to him as Australian born and raised. To me, given the much greater mobility there is in the world nowadays, it's pretty meaningless that you happened to be born in one country before going to another one (who you then represent in a sport) as a child. More noteworthy if you don't move until later in life after already going a long way down the sporting path in the country of your birth.