England Head Coach Peter Moores says Jonathan Trott will have to “fight” for a place back in the England team.
Trott is the headline name in a 16-man England squad that yesterday flew to the Caribbean for three Tests versus West Indies.
The 33-year-old top-order batsman, who has amassed 3,763 Test runs at an average of 46.45, has not played for England since November 2013 at the start of the last Ashes series.
Having featured in that first Ashes Test, he left the tour with a stress-related illness and spent the rest of the winter away from the game.
Trott returned to action last season with Warwickshire, scoring three hundreds among 628 first-class runs at an average of 44.85.
He subsequently led England Lions in their ‘Test’ series with South Africa A during January, making a rearguard double-century in the first of two matches.
His exploits for Warwickshire and the Lions helped to earn him a recall for the Windies tour, and he is in contention to open the batting alongside Alastair Cook after Cook’s previous first-wicket partner Sam Robson was left out.
Trott’s greatest competition is expected to come from Adam Lyth, who enjoyed a stunning 2014 at the top of Yorkshire’s batting order as they won the LV= County Championship.
Lyth and Trott will both be looking to impress Moores in two two-day warm-up fixtures next week ahead of the opening Test, which starts on April 13.
Speaking of Trott, Moores said: “We know we’ve got a fantastic cricketer. He’s had a great Test match record, and he’s going through the right stuff.
“He’s played for Warwickshire, performed well and been one of their top players again.
“He’s gone on the Lions trip, performed really well against aggressive bowling as well as spin bowling away from home and he’s earned the right to be selected on this trip on performance, not on what he did in the past but what he’s done to get back in.
“And that to me is the most important thing. He’s earned his right to get in there and he’s going to play in that party and he’s going to fight for a place in that team. That’s part of the fun of it, and he’s very excited, which is great.”