Elite Performers Receive Upgrade

As expected, several top Yorkshire players have been justifiably rewarded with international call-ups for the winter. Joe Root not surprisingly was chosen for the one-day series in Sri Lanka, while Gary Ballance is unfortunate in the extreme to be omitted. However there is a very real prospect that one or two England batsmen will flop in November/December, thereby leaving the door ajar for a recall in time for next spring's World Cup.

Meanwhile Adil Rashid will be providing some net practice in Sri Lanka for the first team squad before joining up with the England Performance Programme in the same country. Joining Adil will be the accomplished trio of Jonny Bairstow, Alex Lees, and Adam Lyth. At least one of the two openers will be well-placed to go on and tour the West Indies, alongside Ballance and Root, in the spring, when the test team will do battle there. This has certainly been a good September for Lees who was designated England's young player of the season and then got awarded his Yorkshire cap before the final fixture against Somerset.

Last and by no means least, the pace duo of Jack Brooks and Liam Plunkett have been selected for the England Performance Programme in South Africa, which will be aimed at developing the seam bowling skills of the seven players who have been invited to participate.

Best wishes to the eight players mentioned above who will have ample opportunities either side of Christmas to audition for the national team either in limited overs internationals and/or in test matches. Of course Yorkshire's playing resources may well be stretched over the next few years by the absence of a number of notable players, but it is a nice dilemma for the county to be presented with.