England are still searching for a reliable opening partnership - but Dom Sibley will hope he and former Surrey team-mate Rory Burns can form just that.
Burns has seemingly cemented a spot after impressing in The Ashes, including with a maiden century at Edgbaston, while Sibley will make his Test bow against New Zealand from Wednesday night after getting the nod following a County Championship-high tally of 1,324 runs in 2019.
Read on, or watch the video above, as Warwickshire opener Sibley - who faced over 1,00 more deliveries than any other Division One batsman this summer - explains the technique change that proved the trigger for him to score five first-class centuries last season…
Sibley on batting technique….
"The difference for me started in 2018 when I changed a couple of things. For a tall lad I was standing quite narrow, so I widened my base a little bit. I wasn't worried about having that classical technique of being side on and being a bit wider and open has allowed me to hit straighter down the ground. When I was younger I got hit on the pad a lot , so being a bit wider and having more balance allows me to move back into the ball a bit easier."
Sibley on his strengths and batting time…
"In four-day cricket I have worked around leaving really well, knowing where my off stump is, hitting down the ground and working off my pads. Obviously if you get a big half volley outside off stump you are going to try and put it away but mainly it's making the bowlers bowl to me and about being really patient. I am just trying to win each ball. I try to keep it really singular and concentrate on that ball."
Sibley on facing fast bowling…
"In county cricket there isn't the express pace as regularly as in international cricket but I have had a bit of a taste of James Pattinson at Nottinghamshire and the Australia boys in a Lions game. It's realising that it's not too bad once you get in - it's always going to be tough at the start but if you get through those tough periods it always gets easier."
Watch the video above to hear more from Sibley, including on his trigger movements. Then catch the batsman's Test debut as England face New Zealand in Tauranga, live on Sky Sports Cricket (channel 401) and Sky Sports Main Event (404) from 9pm on Wednesday.