England Batsmen Watch: Week Four

3 May 2016 | Cricket
With many England Test hopefuls on display in Week Four of the Specsavers County Championship, some have fared better than others. Here\'s a look at the runners and riders with their eyes on an place in Trevor Bayliss\' Test team.

Alastair Cook – The England skipper is in superb form for Division Two pace-setters Essex, hitting three hundreds in as many games for his county. His form will put a smile on the face of the selectors, who face a headache deciding between a clutch of other England hopefuls.

Alex Hales – After enduring a mixed run beside Cook at the top of the England batting order in South Africa over the winter, Hales will be desperate to prove his worth by scoring heavy for Nottinghamshire. And what better place to do it than in front of the Sky Sports cameras this week? Yet Hales only made 38 before nicking to Joe Root at slip.

Nick Compton – Surely a shoo-in for an England place after a series of gritty innings for the Three Lions, yet Compton has yet to ignite this season. He hit 38 in Middlesex’s snow-affected match at Durham last week and was dismissed for a single yesterday. Could he lose his place this summer?

Joe Root – No debate over his place in the Test team after the young Yorkshireman enjoyed a scintillating 2015, but Root was snaffled first ball by Rikki Wessels off the bowling of Jake Ball for a rare golden duck against Nottinghamshire this weekend.

James Vince – A couple of early season big scores have thrust Vince’s name into the selection debate, after James Taylor’s early retirement due to a serious heart injury opened up a spot for a young middle order batsman. But Vince could only muster a short, sharp 28 in Hampshire’s match against Middlesex over the weekend.

Gary Ballance – Like Vince, Ballance will be targeting a middle order berth in England’s team, having averaged 47 in 15 Tests for England so far. The Zimbabwe-born batsman can consider himself unlucky to have been dropped but will need to show form for Yorkshire to make a return. Ballance's form has been indifferent this season, making just 7 yesterday before falling to Jake Ball.

Jonny Bairstow – The Yorkshire keeper-batsman has established himself as a mainstay in the England team since taking the gloves off Jos Buttler last year. His form for Yorkshire has been the main reason behind his selection, as Bairstow continues to score heavily. He hit a double century against Hampshire in April but was trapped LBW by Harry Gurney for 29 yesterday.

Ian Bell – If the England selectors want a quick fix to their middle order conundrum, the experienced Warwickshire man could be the answer. Ever-reliable and always easy on the eye, Bell hit early season form with a big century and a couple of fluent fifties in April. The Bears aren’t in action this week, but expect Bell’s name to remain in the selection cauldron this summer.

Outside bets – Alex Lees, Sam Robson and Tom Westley – Robson was seemingly out of the England frame after a stuttering stint of seven Tests saw him dropped in 2014. But a double hundred in April thrust his name back into contention, alongside the in-form Wesley (who is out-scoring Cook at Essex) and Lees, who remains a favourite of the England selectors. Yorkshire opener Lees resumes this morning on 91 not out at Trent Bridge.