Alastair Cook has backed Jonathan Trott to come to the fore should the pair open the batting together in the upcoming Test series against West Indies.
Trott left England’s 2013-14 Ashes tour of Australia after the opening Test, but has battled back via his run-making with first Warwickshire and then England Lions in South Africa this winter.
The 33-year-old batsman, who boasts 3,763 runs from 49 Tests, is expected to compete with Yorkshire’s Adam Lyth for the chance to partner Cook at the top of the order – although it was the Warwickshire man alongside the captain during the opening practice session of the tour.
"He was in a bad place in Brisbane and at the time I would have been surprised that he'd come back, but it's a huge credit to the work he's done off the field and the effort he's put in," said Cook.
"That obviously shows his desire to come back to play for England.
"He has almost demanded selection with the runs he has scored for Warwickshire. It's great for me to see him back in an England shirt. He's a great guy and if he gets his chance he'll be desperate to (do well)."
While Cook may be surprised that Trott was able to fight his way back to the international scene, he has no concerns about his ability to handle the occasion should he be selected for the first Test in Antigua.
"I am (confident), but you don't know 100 per cent until he's put out in the environment - that is always unknown," he said.
"There's a lot of things about selection that are unknown until you're put into the pressure cooker of international cricket and, make no mistake, it's a high-intensity environment, there's no doubt about that.
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"But Trotty's done everything we've asked of him. He feels confident in himself and he's just looking forward to taking that next step.
"What we do know is he's a quality player. You don't have his stats and that weight of runs behind you without being a quality player."
Cook has faced his own demons in the Test arena, having not scored a century during Trott’s absence – although there were plenty of positives from his displays against India last summer.
"It's always important we win,” he added. “When you play for England you carry the hopes and the pride of the nation on your shoulders.
"That has not changed since the day I started playing."