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Liam Plunkett has been ruled out of the end of the T20 tri-series and the five ODIs against New Zealand with a recurrence of the hamstring injury he picked up in Australia.Plunkett made his return against New Zealand in Wellington earlier this week but aggravated the problem he first suffered in the ODI in Sydney last month. He has been diagnosed with a grade one tear and unlike when he stayed with the squad after the injury in Australia he will now be heading home.”An MRI scan today confirmed a minor hamstring strain and this will not recover in time to take part in the ODI series,” the ECB said. “A replacement for the ODI squad will be announced in the upcoming days.”Although England have been bolstered by the arrival of Ben Stokes the ECB said a replacement for Plunkett would be named in the coming days. One possible route is to retain Sam Curran, the Surrey allrounder, who was added to the T20 squad but is not in the one-day party.Captain Eoin Morgan has sat out the last two T20s due to injury with Jos Buttler leading the side.Australia’s record chase against New Zealand at Eden Park gave England a lifeline in the T20 series although they will still need to beat the hosts by a significant margin at Seddon Park to progress to the final in Auckland on February 21.

Likely first-choice XI

Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, Aaron Finch, Suresh Raina (capt), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Ishan Kishan, James Faulkner, Praveen Kumar, Shadab Jakati, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shivil Kaushik

Reserves

Batsmen – Jason Roy, Chirag Suri, Jaydev Shah, Pratham SinghBowlers – Andrew Tye, Manpreet Gony, Munaf Patel, Pradeep Sangwan, Nathu Singh, Basil Thampi, Shelley Shaurya, Tejas BarokaAllrounders – Dwayne Bravo, Shubham Agarwal, Ravindra Jadeja, Akshdeep Nath

Strengths

A robust top order. Gujarat Lions were the only team last year to score 70 or more in the Powerplay – a feat they achieved four times. Five of their batsmen – Suresh Raina, Aaron Finch, Brendon McCullum, Dinesh Karthik and Dwayne Smith – aggregated more than 300 runs; no other team had more than three.Lions also have an effective new-ball pair in Dhawal Kulkarni and Praveen Kumar. Kulkarni’s 14 wickets in the Powerplay were the most for any bowler in 2016, and it went well with the miserliness of Praveen, who has the second-best economy rate (6.27) for an Indian in Powerplays over the last five years.

Weaknesses

Their lower-middle order has underwhelmed. Dwayne Bravo and James Faulkner, who would be expected to finish innings off, have not been up to the mark over their last two seasons in the IPL. Bravo averaged 21 with a strike-rate of 125, and Faulkner’s corresponding figures were 14 and 120.Lions also lack bench strength, which may hurt them upfront as Bravo is out injured early on and Ravindra Jadeja will sit out of the first few games after a long Test season. They will be wary of batting first as well, having lost five out of six matches doing so, including two Qualifiers.

Where they finished in 2016, and what’s different this year?

Table-toppers at the end of the league stage, Lions finished third after defeats in the two Qualifiers to Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad.Lions let go of eight players, but the core group largely remained intact. The injured Dale Steyn was the only overseas talent they released.After their bowling caved in clutch moments last year, Lions made concerted investments in experienced IPL campaigners like Munaf Patel and Manpreet Gony, apart from fresh recruits Nathu Singh and Basil Thampi – the Kerala quick who has a reputation of hitting 140 kph.They also retained left-arm wristspinner Shivil Kaushik, who had a stint with Hull County Cricket Club in England following the IPL last year.Lions will kickstart their season without Ravindra Jadeja, who has been in imperious form recently•BCCI

What have their players been up to?

• Jadeja had unflattering returns of eight wickets from 40.1 overs in the IPL last year. But his form during India’s home season still makes him an integral member of the side. Jadeja bagged 71 wickets in 13 home Tests – the third-highest ever in a season – and scored 556 runs. However, he will miss the first couple of weeks, having been advised rest by the BCCI medical staff.
• Dinesh Karthik was the driving force behind Tamil Nadu clinching the Vijay Hazare and Deodhar Trophy titles. Karthik amassed 854 runs in 12 innings – the fourth-highest in a List A season in India. He notched up match-winning centuries in both finals, in addition to four half-centuries in his last nine 50-over games. Earlier, his 704 runs in ten matches steered Tamil Nadu to the Ranji Trophy semi-final.
• With improved rhythm and added pace, Kulkarni took a hat-trick for India B in the Deodhar Trophy opener against India A. He then ran through Tamil Nadu’s top order in the final with a five-for and topped the tournament’s bowling charts with 11 wickets in three games.
• Aaron Finch, Lions’ second-highest run-scorer in their debut season, has been prolific both at the international and domestic levels. He was second on the batting charts in the latest Big Bash League, with 354 runs in eight games. He then churned out 108 runs in the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. His purple patch extended into first-class cricket, too, with 581 runs in the Sheffield Shield, including a second-innings 83 in the final that propelled Victoria to their third consecutive title.

Overseas-player availability

Bravo’s hamstring injury, sustained in the BBL last year, will keep him out for the first few matches. Chirag Suri, IPL’s first recruit from the UAE, is likely to be available throughout, including Lions’ first two fixtures, against Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad, despite UAE’s Intercontinental Cup match against Papua New Guinea, beginning on April 7. Jason Roy will leave on May 1 as England tour Ireland for an ODI series.

Home and away record in 2016

With five victories in seven matches, Lions had a marginally better away record than at home, where they won four in seven. While they earned six wins from their first seven matches, their form took a hit with back-to-back losses in Rajkot – their original home – against Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils. Successive wins after shifting base to Kanpur gave them a top-two finish.

Poll

India have opted for training sessions instead of a warm-up fixture in South Africa, in the lead-up to the first Test between the two teams from January 5 in Cape Town. A press release from Cricket South Africa on Monday announced India’s decision.Although the BCCI did not give any reason officially for dropping the warm-up match, it is understood the request was made by the team management well in advance. The board was told that the team management preferred to focus on training on their own as soon as it landed in South Africa on December 28. A team official confirmed the development, but declined to elaborating further, saying it was an “internal matter”.The Indian team management’s preoccupation with acclimatising the players to South African conditions even before they set foot in the country has been such that “lively greentops” were deemed the need of the hour through the Sri Lanka Test series at home.There had been some confusion over the schedule for India’s tour of South Africa, with both boards holding discussions since the beginning of the year. In August, the BCCI had made it clear to CSA that India would not arrive until at least the last week of 2017, because their home series against Sri Lanka ends on December 24.The BCCI wanted its players to take a short break before they departed for South Africa, ruling India out of the traditional Boxing Day Test, which South Africa will now play over four days against Zimbabwe. Eventually, even the New Year’s Test which is traditionally played from January 2 in Cape Town was pushed back to January 5. Incidentally, in September, an official involved in the discussions told ESPNcricinfo that India would “definitely play one practice match before the first Test”.Following the Cape Town Test, two more will be played in Centurion and Johannesburg, followed by six ODIs and three T20Is.

Local uncapped talent will constitute only 16% of the total players in the Bangladesh Premier League this season – an all-time low – as a result of the BPL governing council’s decision to allow franchises to field five overseas cricketers in an XI.

Count of uncapped Bangladesh players in each season

• BPL 2012 (5 foreigners): Total 111; local uncapped 26 (23%)

• BPL 2013 (5 foreigners): Total 134; local uncapped 35 (26%)

• BPL 2015 (4 foreigners): Total 120; local uncapped 24 (20%)

• BPL 2016 (4 foreigners): Total 131; local uncapped 31 (23%)
  BPL 2017 (5 foreigners): Total 180; local uncapped 29 (16%)

This is a throwback to the regulations used in 2012 and 2013, although back then the BPL was in its infancy still finding its feet as a T20 tournament. And yet, the local uncapped players constituted 26% of the pool in 2013 while the corresponding figure in the inaugural edition in 2012 was 23%. The year 2015 was an aberration: even with only four foreigners in an XI, the uncapped players count was as low as 20%.When announcing the regulation earlier this year, the BPL governing council said it took the decision after consulting the participating franchises. Rajshahi Kings weren’t in favour of the move.Khulna Titans have the largest contingent of Bangladeshi uncapped players – seven – while Sylhet Sixers and Comilla Victorians have only three. Sylhet have signed three uncapped overseas players as well.Dhaka Dynamites coach Khaled Mahmud was unsure if the move would benefit Bangladesh cricket, but he did say there aren’t many players in the country who are explosive enough to play T20 cricket.”I would call it a concern but we also have to realise that we don’t have enough quality,” he said. “We have already lost seven local players [with the axing of Barisal Bulls] but I would still say that finding a place in the team is what the local players need as a challenge. The young players should have competition rather than having a confirmed team. There aren’t many T20 specialists in our pipeline, but at the same time, they need opportunities to be honest.”As a means to address that, BPL secretary Ismail Haider Mallick said: “We are thinking of holding a domestic T20 tournament with only local players, with the Dhaka Premier League (one-day tournament) or the four Bangladesh Cricket League (first-class) teams. So about 48 players will be able to play.”Reactions to these new regulations was divided. Nabil Samad, an experienced domestic performer, felt that “Bangladeshi players got more opportunities with bat and ball when seven local players were around. But this time the scope has become limited for batsmen, especially those in the top-order. Teams usually try to utilise foreign players in those positions”Meanwhile Khulna fast bowler Abu Jayed chose to see the bright side. “BPL is a good platform to enter the national team, because it lets us stay in focus. There isn’t any media coverage in National Cricket League (first-class cricket) and Bangladesh Cricket League. I think we can look at the positive of it. We will be brought into focus if we do well. There aren’t many of us.”

Worcestershire have signed Nathan Lyon, the Australia offspinner, as a replacement overseas player to cover for John Hastings during the Champions Trophy.Lyon, who is Australia’s most successful finger-spinner with 247 wickets from 67 Tests, will also provide a frontline spin option in the absence of Moeen Ali who will be with England.”If you look at top international bowlers who are available while the Champions Trophy is going on – plus those with West Indies and Afghanistan – you don’t seem to see many who are available,” Steve Rhodes, the Worcestershire director of cricket, said.”Nathan has never played county cricket and I really try to get overseas players who are looking for a challenge and are hungry to succeed. He is a great competitor and to get someone like Nathan is really important for Worcestershire.”Rhodes also sees Lyon playing an important role with Worcestershire’s young spinners. “Nathan is also a very committed dressing room man and our young spinners like George Rhodes and Ben Twohig will have the opportunities to pick his brains over that period. That will be fantastic for them and a big boost to those two players.”

Josh Hazlewood has pleaded guilty to breaching the ICC’s Code of Conduct after showing dissent at the result of a decision review during New Zealand’s second innings in Christchurch. Hazlewood, who was fined 15% of his match fee for the incident, along with captain Steven Smith was part of an ugly confrontation with umpire Ranmore Martinesz in the last over before lunch.The incident occurred after the Australians appealed for lbw from a near yorker that Hazlewood delivered to Kane Williamson, and Martinesz ruled not-out. Smith immediately asked for a review from third umpire Richard Illingworth, who saw a small Hot Spot mark near the bottom of Williamson’s inside edge and instructed Martinesz to stay with his not-out decision.The Australians, who had seen the replays on the big screen at Hagley Oval, appeared to be furious with the review, indicating to Martinesz that they thought the Hot Spot was the result of Williamson’s bat hitting his boot. Smith walked towards Martinesz to remonstrate and Hazlewood was heard on the stump microphone to say: “Who the f*** is the third umpire?”Their reaction drew immediate criticism from the TV commentators on air at the time, Mark Richardson declaring the actions of the Australians as “intolerable” and Ian Smith saying that Martinesz “does not deserve a grilling out there”. Hazlewood also appeared to express frustration as the players walked off at the lunch break, speaking to New Zealand batsman Corey Anderson.”I didn’t actually hear anything, I got told that he was saying something to me,” Anderson said after play. “But I’m actually deaf in my left ear, so he could have been on my wrong side. Whether he said something or not, I’m not too concerned. You hear a little bit every now and then when you’re out there, but you’re so focused and consumed by what you do, you end up blocking most of it out.”One factor in the drama appeared to be that the replays shown on the big screen at Hagley Oval, which the players saw at the time, were less clear than those seen by TV viewers at home. Anderson said Williamson had been “unsure” whether he had nicked the ball or not, and that it was sometimes not until the players saw replays in the change-rooms that they understood the process.”It was one of those ones where it’s so close you don’t know sometimes whether you’ve whacked your foot or if you’ve whacked the ball,” Anderson said. “I know from the big screen there’s a few bits and pieces that are harder to tell. I know there was one yesterday with Joe Burns that we thought nicked the glove and it was turned down. Once you go back in the sheds and see what has actually happened, it’s a lot clearer.”It’s always one of those things. We’ve been on the end of those where you want a wicket so badly and you want something to happen in the game and it doesn’t quite go your way. It’s part of it. It’s happened before and it’ll happen again.”The incident occurred near the end of a session in which Australia had failed to take a wicket, despite a dropped catch, an edge that fell fractionally short of wicketkeeper Peter Nevill, and another lbw review that also showed an inside edge. Jackson Bird, who eventually finished with a five-wicket haul, said frustration had played a part in the response of the Australians.”We bowled pretty well in the first session and we probably thought it was out,” Bird said. “But those 50-50 calls, they either go your way or they don’t. So it was probably the frustration of the whole session. We’d bowled pretty well and hadn’t got a wicket. We’d been pretty close a couple of times. So you know – it’s one of those things. We couldn’t quite tell what was going on. It didn’t go our way but that’s how the game goes sometimes.”However, the Australians were unhappy at the fact that Hazlewood’s comment – “who the f*** is the third umpire?” – was broadcast. Stump microphones are not supposed to remain live when players and umpires are conversing.”Yeah it is a little bit [disappointing],” Bird said. “We’re all for having technology in the game, and all the new technology that comes out every year is great and great for the viewers at home. But I don’t see why the stump mics need to be broadcast to the whole world. I’m not sure why they were.”

Chris Rogers, the former Australia opener who announced his retirement last week, has suggested a similar change to the toss regulations introduced in England for the 2016 Championship season could also benefit Australian cricket.Away teams were given the choice of bowling first or asking for a toss (if they wished to bat), a move designed to discourage teams from preparing green, seaming pitches and give spinners more of an opportunity as games wore on. Rogers led Somerset to second place in Division One – missing out on a first title by four points to Middlesex on the final day – after overseeing the club’s switch to playing on turning surfaces during the latter half of the season.Although Rogers, a regular performer in county cricket for more than a decade, said he felt his game was better suited to playing on traditional English surfaces that aided swing and seam, he was encouraged by his own development against spin, in his final season as a professional, and suggested the experiment could be taken to Australia and the Sheffield Shield.”I think Australia would benefit from it as well,” Rogers said. “The one thing that seems to be happening in Australian cricket, all the wickets there are becoming quite uniform in the way they play. The drop-in wickets, at Melbourne and Adelaide, and then Sydney doesn’t play the way it used to.”So in the end I worry if we’re producing players who only really know how to play in a certain type of condition. If it meant that sides were trying to get different types of wickets that might help Australian cricket as well. So I’d like to think that they’d consider it.”Australia’s Test side has struggled on overseas commitments in recent years, winning in South Africa, the West Indies and New Zealand but suffering chastening defeats in England, India, the UAE and, most recently, Sri Lanka. The coach, Darren Lehmann, expressed similar concerns about the state of home pitches during the 3-0 loss in Sri Lanka, with questions being asked of Australia’s batting and the ability of players to adapt to different conditions.Discussion of the surfaces produced in Shield cricket has gone back and forth in recent years, with a trend for increasingly bowler-friendly pitches being reversed by Cricket Australia directive.An experiment with using Dukes balls in the Shield has already been flagged for 2016-17, after Ricky Ponting’s call in the wake of Australia repeatedly coming unstuck against the lateral movement achieved by England’s pace attack during the 2015 Ashes.Rogers did express a concern that a shift away from seaming pitches in England might diminish what has historically been a strength – both in terms of bowlers coming through and top-order batsman able to combat the moving ball. But, after signing off his first-class career with a century in each innings at Taunton, he felt that the change to the toss had helped rebalance the domestic game and also provided him fresh learning opportunities as a batsman and captain.”How to captain spin, that’s quite a skill in itself,” he said. “I felt my captaincy got better the more we played on those wickets. Everybody’s learning, which is great.”I’ve never been a great player of spin, I found it really hard, but to get two hundreds in the last game, on a wicket that was turning – I think I was getting better and better, even at this late stage of my career, and that’s a good thing as well. It’s going to help the younger guys when they go to some of the Asian countries and play there, it’s going to be so hard but at least they’ll have a little bit of experience.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsNiroshan Dickwella brought up his maiden T20I fifty to anchor Sri Lanka’s chase•Associated Press

Sri Lanka spoiled AB de Villiers’ comeback by snatching the T20 series from South Africa to claim the first silverware in the country in their history. Niroshan Dickwella’s career-best 68 overshadowed de Villiers’ 63, in his first international outing in six months, as Sri Lanka chased down 170 with one ball remaining but it was Seekkuge Prasanna’s 16-ball 37 which completed the second highest successful chase at Newlands.South Africa were without their newest spearhead, 20-year-old Lungi Ngidi, for most of their time in the field after he bruised his hip, and he could not bowl his final two overs, but had a tardy fielding effort rather than lack of resources to blame for their inability to defend the total. They put down five catches in total and saw several more aerial chances go unclaimed to allow Sri Lanka some leeway in what was a tough task.Still, it took cool heads for Sri Lanka’s batsmen to cross the line, especially after Imran Tahir removed their stand-in captain Dinesh Chandimal early on and then removed Dickwella and Dhananjaya de Silva in the same over. Sri Lanka had to rebuild their innings twice and eventually needed 26 runs off the last two overs. Against the inexperience of Andile Phehlulwayo and debutant Dane Paterson, Prasanna and Asela Gunaratne got there to seal a memorable win.By the time the 19th over began, Prasanna already had 23 off 10 balls – having brought the target down from a daunting 50 off 21 balls – but Gunaratne had yet to score a run and only faced one ball after Kusal Mendis was run-out in the previous over. The pair ran hard off the first and second deliveries before Prasanna advanced on a Phehlukwayo slower ball and sent it over long-on for six. He did not get hold of the next one, losing his bat as he swung, but finished the over with a ramp over the Mangaliso Mosehle’s head to leave Paterson with 11 to defend off the last over.Gunaratne took the pressure off the final passage of play with a scoop over fine leg for four and took quick singles before he swung across the line and top-edged over Mosehle to level scores. In his excitement, Gunaratne thought the match was over and grabbed a stump out of the ground in celebration only to be told he needed one run was still needed. He drove the penultimate ball through the covers and this time could keep the stump.Having threatened through the series, with 43 in Centurion and 22 in Johannesburg, Dickwella went one better and converted his start into his first T20 half-century. He had support from Upul Tharanga, who was playing in his first T20 since the World T20 in 2012, and was aggressive from the get-go. The pair punished width early on and took on the short ball and it took a change of pace to separate them.Tharanga lobbed a catch to mid-on off Wayne Parnell’s first ball, a slower delivery, to give South Africa a breakthrough but it was when stand-in captain Dinesh Chandimal was bowled by Tahir’s first delivery that Sri Lanka were under real pressure. Tahir’s over went boundary-less and then a hat-trick of missed chances came off Parnell’s second over, including a return catch, with Dickwella surviving two of those chances. He made South Africa pay.He saw off Tahir and targeted Phehlukwayo at first, before switching gears and lapping Tahir but South Africa’s complications came when they needed a replacement for Ngidi after he injured his hip diving at cover. Jon-Jon Smuts had to fill in but his two overs cost 22 runs as Dickwella reached fifty off 34 balls.With five overs to go, Sri Lanka needed more than ten an over but would have been fairly comfortable with Dickwella well settled. Tahir had an over in hand, though, and appeared to have changed the game. He had Dickwella caught in the deep and de Silva stumped to turn things South Africa’s way but Sri Lanka had more muscle.In the end, South Africa might blame their middle-order problems for not posting a big enough total. They lost 4 for 28 runs in 25 balls between the 14th and 18th over, including de Villiers which may have been the difference.South Africa trialled a new opening partner for Smuts in Reeza Hendricks and it proved a good decision. While Smuts continued to show nothing more than glimpses of the potential that took him to the top of the domestic T20 competition run-charts, Hendricks had the composure for a longer stay and formed one half of the hosts’ major partnership on the nightAfter Smuts was given out lbw, Hendricks was joined by de Villiers and was happy to cede control to the senior man, but not before a third perfectly timed offside drive to the end the PowerPlay strongly.De Villiers initially played within himself before giving making room to drive through point for his first boundary. He did not focus on finding the rope too many more times early on, though, and strike-rotation with a partner who was as speedy as him formed the foundation of their scoring. Every single was cheered loudly, twos and a solitary three were even more appreciated but there was no doubt the crowd was expecting more. When de Villiers danced down the track to meet a Lakshan Sandakan delivery on the full and send it straight back over his head for six, Newlands erupted. Their superstar was back.A scoop off Gunaratne saw de Villiers overtake Hendricks before the latter was stumped. Hendricks will not be happy with his carelessness when he dragged his foot out against Sandakan after the ball spun across him and he failed to push his foot behind the line. Chandimal needed two attempts to complete the stumping and, still, Hendricks did not inch further back.Despite that wicket bringing South Africa’s most dangerous hitter, David Miller, to the crease, Sri Lanka had created an opening to claw their way back. Miller, Farhaan Behardien and de Villiers all departed and South Africa entered the final two overs on 141 for 5 without one of their regular finishers on hand. Nuwan Kulasekara did an exceptional job in his final two overs which only cost 11 and removed de Villiers.Mosehle took the opportunity to show what he could do with a stunning cameo. He plundered three sixes off the first four balls in the last over, which cost Isuru Udana 21, and took South Africa’s total over 160 but it was not enough.

The founder of the Professional Cricketers’ Association has urged the organisation to “remember what they are there to do”.Fred Rumsey, who set up the PCA (the players’ union) in 1967, has reminded the current management that their only concern should be “representing the interests of players”.He is particularly disappointed at the prospect of an eight-team competition, which will exclude the involvement of more than half of current PCA members, and is concerned the association may be powerless to prevent the new, 100-ball-a-side competition, which he dismisses as such a “ludicrous” idea it “should be played in clowns’ clothing”.”They’ll probably dismiss my views as those of an old fogey,” Rumsey, the former England seamer, told ESPNcricinfo. “But the PCA was founded to represent players. Not to devise new formats or even to look at the overall health of the game. Other bodies do those things. The PCA was founded to represent players.”Yet now we’re going to have an eight-team competition that will mean most current PCA members won’t have any involvement. How can that be in their interests?”And then we learn there is to be a ludicrous new competition – this 100-ball nonsense that sounds as if was the idea of Fred Karno [credited as the inventor of slapstick comedy] – and the PCA were hardly even consulted before it was unveiled. Well, that doesn’t sound to me as if they are taken very seriously by the ECB. It doesn’t sound as if they have much of a voice. There is no reason at all the players couldn’t have been consulted months ago.”Rumsey, now aged 82 but as sharp as ever mentally (he is currently putting the finishing touches to an autobiography), concedes he is not party to the what happens behind the scenes at the PCA these days and says he was “encouraged” by Daryl Mitchell’s veiled warning to the ECB that they had “no competition without players”.But he urged the PCA management to stick to their guns and ensure they continue to “look after the interests of players”.”Mitchell was quite right to remind the ECB that they don’t have a competition without players,” Rumsey said. “But I wonder if a split has emerged in the PCA? Are the players, represented by Daryl, supported as much as they should be by the commercial side of the organisation? I’m not at all convinced they are.”I know the PCA still do much good work but my concern, on this issue, is whether they are doing enough to look after the interests of players. I wonder if former players – who are not under contract and do not fear the consequences of their words – should now get together and form an association to ensure the players have a powerful voice once more?”The PCA declined to comment but pointed out they continue to work hard, sometimes in private, in the best interests of their members.

James Vince was the first player to get the unwanted phonecall from the new national selector Ed Smith earlier this season when he was dropped from the Test side. A double century on the eve of the squad announcement wasn’t enough to save him after a winter which offered flashes of promise but too many flashes outside off stump.Vince remains understandably diplomatic about his omission, which came despite making 76 in the final Test against New Zealand, although he believes he was getting close to a breakthrough performance.”I think I’ve been treated very fairly and been given good opportunities before that,” he said. “I’m averaging 24-25, that doesn’t mean you should be selected for England. I understood it, but at the same time, 70-odd in the last Test then 200 the week before [selection], I felt I was going to get that big one in Test cricket and felt in a good place to do it in the first Test this summer.”On Saturday, the Royal London Cup final, against Kent at Lord’s, offers another chance in the spotlight, albeit in a different format to the one in which he relinquished his position.”I think every game is a big opportunity,” he said. “But, yes, tomorrow, not just for me but for everyone. There are some young guys making really good progress. It’s a chance for them to get noticed and for myself and some of the older guys to show they can do it on the big days.”England are certainly not short on batting options in the white-ball game – the dilemma of how to fit Ben Stokes back in the site is evidence of that – but there could yet be one spot in the World Cup squad up for grabs. Sam Billings, Vince’s opposite number in the final, has been left out of the squad to face India; Billings has had a frustrating time carrying the drinks while being unable to take the occasional chances that have come his way.It could well be that Billings does enough to be at the World Cup – he is a versatile cricketer, and brilliant in the field which is an important aspect – but there is a chance for others to make the selectors ponder too. Vince has scored 504 runs in the Royal London Cup, peaking with a magnificent 171 in the semi-final against Yorkshire, which followed a century against Somerset in the last group match.Vince’s ODI career has been limited to five matches. His debut came in Dublin on the occasion that Peter Moores was sacked in 2015; on a miserable day he didn’t get a bat then a year later made a half-century in his second outing against Sri Lanka. Three more matches followed in Bangladesh, when he filled the spot vacated by the absent Alex Hales, but he missed his chance to press for a permanent place with 53 runs in three innings and hasn’t featured since.”That is a very tough side to get into at the minute, bowling and batting, but the batting especially they are winning games,” Vince said. “All you can do is get yourself as high up the ladder to be the next guy in, whether it’s an injury or loss of form. At the minute there is probably no batter in the country who would expect to be in that side. So it’s a waiting game for the guys playing county cricket.”He is probably a long-shot to make the final World Cup squad because his best position in 50-over cricket would be among the top three, where England are already likely to have a natural reserve once Stokes fits back in, but a hundred in a Lord’s final – even in an era where the fixture carries less weight – would do no harm.