England supporters might have been given a little glimpse into the future with the naming of this “training group” ahead of the West Indies series.
While few of the new faces may make the Test team this July, they could well become more familiar in the months and years ahead. For as Ed Smith, the national selector, made clear, these players have been picked not just with a view to taking on West Indies, but to challenges in India and, in particular, Australia, too.
With no county cricket on which to judge players this season, the selectors have naturally relied heavily on performances on last winter’s tours. And that includes England Lions’ trip to Australia, on which they won the unofficial ‘Test’ against a strong Australia A side by nine wickets. Several of the eight uncapped players announced in this training group were involved in that squad and, as a consequence, have given their…