Hales under pressure from Browne, Lyth, Robson and Stoneman...
Monday 9 May 2016 17:18, UK
It is coming up to four years since the retirement of Andrew Strauss, but heading into the Test series with Sri Lanka, England are still searching for a dependable long-term opening partner for Alastair Cook.
Many have been given the opportunity to prove themselves at the top of the order - Joe Root, Nick Compton, Michael Carberry and Moeen Ali to name but a few - but no one has done enough to make the spot their own.
Here we look at five of the potential options to join Cook in the middle when England begin their first innings at Headingley later this month…
Alex Hales
The Nottinghamshire batsman is the man in possession having opened up with Cook during England's series victory over South Africa during the winter. However, Hales struggled to make an impact, making only one half-century as he managed just 136 runs at an average of 17 in eight innings.
Yet having shown his class for England in limited overs cricket, the 27-year-old may well be given the chance to prove himself on home soil in the longest form of the game.
Hales was certainly in good touch for Notts last summer, hitting three centuries and two fifties with an average just shy of 50, while his 73 against Middlesex on Sunday could prove very timely.
Nick Browne
The only player in our list plying his trade in Division Two, Browne has the advantage of having opened the batting with Cook for Essex on a number of occasions. Since making his first-class debut in 2013, the left-hander has scored over 4,000 runs with an average just over 41.
At 25, Browne has time on his side and the potential to become a mainstay in the side for years to come. Although, after scoring 1,157 championship runs last summer, he has struggled so far in 2016.
There have been two half-centuries but there have also been a number of low scores. An untimely dip in form could see him miss out, though he will be familiar with the Sri Lanka attack from Essex's ongoing match against Angelo Mathews' men.
Adam Lyth
Having been drafted into the England squad at the beginning of last summer, Lyth lasted just seven matches - two against New Zealand and five Ashes games - having scored just 265 runs in 13 innings. The Yorkshireman did manage a Test century in the second Test against the Kiwis but was found wanting outside his off stump by the Australians.
He has received backing from one former Aussie bowler, though, in the form of Jason Gillespie, his coach at Yorkshire, who believes Lyth is good enough to "thrive" at Test level. A century in his first County Championship game of the new season showed his undoubted talent but scores of nought and four in the recent clash with Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge, live on Sky Sports, will not have helped his chances of a Test recall.
Sam Robson
Given the records of those who have followed him, Robson may feel a touch unfortunate to have been dropped from the England side at the end of the summer of 2014 having averaged 30.54 and hit a ton and a half-century against Sri Lanka and India.
The 26-year-old struggled on his return to county cricket with Middlesex last summer but began the 2016 season magnificently, making scores of 231 and 106 against Warwickshire at Lord's. He has been unable to continue that form in the games that have followed but an international recall should not be ruled out.
Mark Stoneman
The Durham opener has been a figure of consistency in recent seasons, overcoming seamer-friendly conditions at Chester-le-Street to score over 1,000 first class runs in each of the past three seasons, including a career best 1,131 over the course of the 2015 campaign.
Stoneman has also had a superb start to the 2016 season and already looks well on his way to another 1,000-run term. An unbeaten century and two half-centuries in his first four games with an average of 84 will not have gone unnoticed by the selectors - whether it is enough to earn him a place in the squad for the first Test is another matter.
Who do you think should open the batting for England in the first Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley? Let us know by commenting below or tweet us @SkyCricket...
Then head to Sky Sports News HQ and Sky Sports' digital platforms on Thursday morning for first news of England's Test squad to play Sri Lanka.
