Uncapped duo Alex Hales and Zafar Ansari are desperate to prove their Test credentials after being selected for England’s forthcoming series against Pakistan.
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Both men have been named in a 16-man squad for the three-match series in the United Arab Emirates, which begins next month.
Nottinghamshire opener Hales has been picked ahead of Adam Lyth, the Yorkshire batsman who played all seven Tests this summer but struggled badly for form during the Ashes, while Surrey all-rounder Ansari offers a third spin-bowling option alongside Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid.
Hales is already a regular of the limited-overs side but has been rewarded for an upturn in his first-class output over the past two seasons.
England Test squad to take on Pakistan in the UAE. Hales & Ansari win places, plus Taylor earns recall pic.twitter.com/ammOWY6rqy
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 15, 2015
He will vie with Moeen Ali for the chance to partner Alastair Cook at the top of the order – a job that has got the better of Nick Compton, Joe Root, Michael Carberry, Sam Robson, Jonathan Trott and Lyth in the three years since Andrew Strauss’ retirement.
Ansari, meanwhile, is the most junior member of the squad, with May’s rained off ODI in Ireland his only previous international experience.
Hales made his name as a dynamic ball-striker in white-ball cricket but he has been selected to tour the Emirates despite a lean Royal London series against Australia.
The 26-year-old accepts it will be a major undertaking to establish himself as a Test opener, but does not intend to compromise his instincts too drastically.
“After working really hard on some technical things I’m pleased to have scored some runs and been given the opportunity,” he said.
“It will be my first ever Test tour, a new environment for me, and it’s going to be a great experience playing and training in subcontinental conditions.
“There are going to be plenty of challenges, but I’ve got to stay true to myself, keep trusting my technique and keep believing that the changes I’ve made are going to be successful in the international arena.
“It’s up to me to tinker with a couple of things, keep developing my game but to stay true to my basics.”
For Ansari, who graduated Cambridge with a double first in politics and sociology, the tour most obviously represents a chance of a get-to-know you period with the England management.
He is still relatively unproven in the county game, but his versatile batting and capability as another slow bowling option make him an attractive proposition.
The 23-year-old is likely to begin behind Moeen and Rashid in the pecking order, but that is already a sizeable step up on his own expectations.
“It has come quicker than I expected, and it wasn’t a goal at the start of the season,” he told ECB.co.uk.
“Having played one year of professional cricket fully I wanted to basically solidify what I’d done last year and try and prove to myself that I could be consistent at the first-class level. That was what I was hoping to get out of this season and it just spiralled.
“It will be interesting to see what side they go with, whether they go three spinners or two and an extra seamer. If they pick three spinners it would be fun to be part of a spin attack, you don’t get that often with England.”
Reflecting on the new arrivals in the Test squad, national selector James Whitaker said: “The challenge we face against Pakistan will be very different and the composition of our squads reflects the conditions we expect to encounter in the UAE.
“Zafar Ansari’s potential excites us and he will provide strong competition for Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali in the Test squad after enjoying an excellent domestic season with both bat and ball for Surrey.”
