National selector Ed Smith is relishing the “exciting prospect” of seeing England’s top players going head-to-head before next month’s Tests against West Indies.
England announced a 30-man training group for the series on Wednesday, revealing that the players will contest a three-day practice match at The Ageas Bowl from July 1 before the squad for the first Test is selected.
The game could pitch incumbent wicketkeeper Jos Buttler in direct competition with rival glovesman Jonny Bairstow and presents the opportunity of seeing how opener Rory Burns, back from injury, and fellow top-order batsmen Zak Crawley, Dom Sibley and Joe Denly contend with England's high-quality pace attack.
Smith, though, stressed that the behind-closed-doors match - the first for the players since the easing of the coronavirus lockdown - shouldn't be seen as a Test trial.
Instead he said that selection would be based on past and recent performance, adding that the format of the game is still up for discussion.
"Chris Silverwood, as head coach, and Joe Root as captain will determine how that game looks like in terms of how they want to set it up - whether you go slightly more than XI a side or whatever it might be," said Smith.
"From a selector's point of view the exciting thing is that we're getting our very leading cricketers on the field and we'll see people playing alongside each other for the first time and we'll see people playing against each other sometimes for the first time. So it's a very exciting prospect."
Middlesex batsman Dawid Malan was not available for selection for the training group as the 32-year-old continues to recover from a calf problem.
But five players named - Essex batsman Dan Lawrence, Gloucestershire wicketkeeper-batsman James Bracey, Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson, Somerset paceman Jamie Overton and Surrey spinner Amar Virdi - have yet to represent their country while Saqib Mahmood, Lewis Gregory and Matt Parkinson have yet to represent England in Test cricket.
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Asked how likely it is that one of the uncapped players is likely to force their way into the team for the first Test against West Indies, on Sky Sports Cricket from July 8, Smith said: "It's a fantastic opportunity for those players.
"Many of those players were on the successful Lions trip that [ECB performance director] Mo Bobat actually led and I was also part of, observing, to Australia this winter.
"Australia, obviously, is where England go next winter for the iconic Ashes series and it was really encouraging not only to see England win in Australia but also those performances - from Craig Overton, from Ollie Robinson, from Dan Lawrence, from James Bracey and others as well.
"It's a good opportunity for that group of players to join up with an England training group and to rub shoulders with the best players in the country and the established players in the Test team - for younger bowlers to bowl at the best batsmen and for younger batsmen to face the best bowlers. What a fantastic opportunity for them and for some of them to play in that internal match."
The training group includes all-rounder Moeen Ali, who feels ready to return to Test cricket after a self-imposed break from the five-day format - his last Test appearance coming in England's first Ashes Test defeat to Australia in August.
The 32-year-old faces stiff competition for a Test spot - not least from fellow spinner Dom Bess, who took 6-87 as England romped to victory in the third Test against South Africa in January.
Bess picked up 11 wickets on his four appearances after Somerset team-mate Jack Leach, who suffers from Crohn's disease, had to leave the tour due to sepsis.
Smith confirmed that Leach - like all of the players in the training group - has been passed fit to attend The Ageas Bowl by England's medical team and will be monitored on an on-going basis.
But the former England, Kent and Middlesex batsman would not be drawn on whether Ali, who has bagged 181 wickets in 60 Tests, is his first-choice slow bowler.
"Moeen is a valued member of the England cricket set-up across formats," said Smith. "He's been a significant contributor.
"In a number of conversations over the winter and also more recently he's indicated that he wants to be considered for selection in all formats and that's something that we are all very aware of.
"I've always felt as a selector is that it's always good news if you increase the talent pool - whether that's Adil Rashid returning to Test cricket or whoever it might be.
"As a selector, greedily, we always want the most amount of talent to pick from so we're pleased that Moeen is available again."
Watch the first Test between England and West Indies live on Sky Sports Cricket from 10.30am on July 8.