What did @lythy09 have to say about his first England call up? #WIvEnghttps://t.co/JRnKzUUfkO
— England Cricket (@ECB_cricket) March 19, 2015
Adam Lyth has his sights set on bagging the vacant position alongside Alastair Cook at the top of the batting order after being named in England’s squad for the Test tour of the West Indies next month.
The left-hander was given his first senior international call-up yesterday after playing a pivotal role in Yorkshire’s LV= County Championship triumph last year.
Lyth - currently in Abu Dhabi preparing for the White Rose’s Champion County game against Marylebone Cricket Club, which gets under way on Sunday - expressed his delight at being given the nod and is now keen to make an impression on captain Cook and Head Coach Peter Moores.
“I was at Richard Pyrah’s benefit function in Dubai when I received the call from Chairman of Selectors James Whitaker,” he said. “I was hoping for it and when it came I was shocked. It still hasn’t sunk in.
“I am very excited and can’t wait to join the England lads next month. I have made many sacrifices to get to this position. I hope that I can now become a Test player in the Caribbean.
“The next step is to impress the captain and coach and hopefully get selected for that first game. If that happens, it would rank as probably my biggest achievement in cricket."
Last season was something of a breakthrough for the 27-year-old, who finished as the leading run-scorer in Division One by plundering 1,489 at 67.68, including two double-hundreds.
It has been a busy, but productive, winter for Lyth, who was selected for a batting and spin camp with the England Performance Programme in Sri Lanka before Christmas and he then played in both of the Lions' unofficial Test matches against South Africa A in January.
He credits his recent resurgence with an improvement in focus - although he did admit to working on elements of his technique.
“I’m in a good place currently,” he said. “I’m enjoying and excelling in my game.
“I have tinkered with a few things regarding my technique, but it is my mental approach that has enhanced my game. I have worked hard on my concentration. I ensure that I go into every innings with the mind set of scoring big runs. It certainly helped last season and I hope for that to continue now.
“I had a positive England Lions tour where I felt I batted well against strong opposition in South Africa. I just need to be given the opportunity to do it on the Test stage and hopefully that will start in the West Indies.”
Congrats @jbairstow21@Liam628@lythy09@joeroot05 Gary Ballance @AdilRashid03 on @ECB_cricket call-up #YCCC#EngvWIpic.twitter.com/2tGktOtxzz
— Yorkshire CCC (@Yorkshireccc) March 18, 2015
Lyth was one of six Yorkshire players to be called-up, alongside leg-spinner Adil Rashid, fast bowler Liam Plunkett, wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow and batsmen Joe Root and Gary Ballance, the first four of which will play against the MCC before linking up with the England squad.
Lyth added: “It is an unbelievable achievement for Yorkshire to have six players in the squad. Five of the six (Plunkett is the exception) have come through the academy system and that is testament to the great structures that have been implemented by the coaching staff.
“Yorkshire is the best club in the country at nurturing talent and the accolade of having six in the touring party is an endorsement for the efforts that go on behind the scenes at Headingley.
“It helps to have a lot of the lads in the squad that you play with all the time. With Gary Ballance and Joe Root, who have had a lot of exposure in the national set-up, they can pass that knowledge on. I’m good friends with both of them and hopefully they’ll make it easier for me to settle in.”