Friday 21 September 2018 15:32, UK
The England selectors are mulling over whether to call up two uncapped bowlers for the forthcoming tour of Sri Lanka, and Warwickshire's Olly Stone has earned his chance, writes Ben Grounds.
While the debate over whether or not to retain Keaton Jennings continues, the stock of Somerset's Jamie Overton continues to rise but another rookie could be in line to join the Test squad.
Ed Smith and his fellow selectors are deciding whether to call up Olly Stone to the Test squad for the first time after a hugely-impressive season with Warwickshire earned him a spot on the white-ball section of the tour.
England will look to exploit Sri Lanka's perceived weakness in handling pace, and 24-year-old Stone is being discussed as a serious contender.
Sky Sports Cricket pundit Rob Key is in no doubt of his talent. "Stone is one of the quickest bowlers around," he said earlier this summer. "I played against him a fair bit when he was at Northants and he reminded me of a young Stuart Broad. If he has half the career Stuart has had, England will be in good hands."
England head coach Trevor Bayliss has previously hinted that the selectors are starting to form a succession plan when the end of the James Anderson-Stuart Broad era comes about.
Asked about the possibility of selecting younger players, Bayliss said: "That is on the agenda. Whether we go that way, I think with the inclusion recently of someone like Sam Curran there is a realisation we have to look at the future.
"We have tried a number of guys in different positions that haven't worked. Maybe with some of these younger guys we have to throw them in there and let them go. From a bowling point of view, there are a number of good young pace bowlers on the edge."
Stone will hope he can shuffle himself from the edge into the spotlight 22 months on from fearing his career may be over after rupturing his ACL jumping to celebrate a wicket in 2016.
The paceman says he now greets each wicket with a fist-pump, and after a shortage of pace proved England's undoing during the last Ashes series in Australia, Stone can provide the solution to Smith's prayers this time around.
The right-armer has endured a stop-start career to date due to his injury troubles, but with his bowling consistently in the mid-90s, Stone is right at the top of the pile when it comes to Broad's replacements.
The man from Norfolk has understandably kept his focus on Warwickshire since returning from a hamstring strain earlier this season, keeping his feet on the ground at a time when an England call-up would complete an unlikely resurgence.
Back in July 2016, in celebrating the wicket of Moeen Ali when playing for Northants in a Twenty20 Blast fixture, his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee snapped. He still managed to bowl the final ball over his over owning to adrenaline, but his final delivery then tore the cartilage to compound the damage.
Fast forward two years and he has well and truly put his injury nightmare behind him, building up confidence in his knee and a subsequent heel injury by turning down England Lions duty in preference of three months with Bayswater-Morley in Perth.
Time spent with the Kookaburra ball in the Waca nets against Alastair Cook was afforded him during the third Test, and Stone relished the challenge.
The selectors should make use of the paceman's time spent becoming accustomed to pitches that lack zip, and conditions will require speed in Sri Lanka.
Concerns will remain over his fitness given he is still one short of making 100 professional appearances despite being under a month away from his 25th birthday.
Stone was pointed in the direction of the ECB's pace programme to aid his understanding of how to condition himself for the domestic season, but the strength work will hopefully prove hugely advantageous this winter.
Dominic Cork would have no hesitation in calling upon the Warwickshire bowler, with the Sky Sports pundit believing he may not be the only rookie England turn to in Sri Lanka.
He said: "There's quite a few the selectors will look at to bring through - the likes of Olly Stone. I've always been impressed with him and the way he bowls with pace, although I know he's had a few injury problems.
"Even Jamie Overton, whose brother Craig has obviously been on an Ashes tour last year and made his debut, I think he's done very well.
"If it was me, I would just want somebody who can bowl quick and be able to hit the deck because they're such slow wickets out in Sri Lanka and the West Indies. I would probably favour Stone to be the rookie to go in there and maybe force his way into the side."
There were calls for Stone to be called up against Pakistan after showcasing his talents at the start of the County Championship campaign - in particular after taking a career-best eight wickets against Sussex.
If England are to reclaim the Ashes next summer, they will have to start planning now, and Stone's pace must be tried over the winter. It was the case in 2012, when the ECB announced a project to produce a conveyor belt of 100mph fast bowlers.
If '90mph is to become the old 80mph,' as fast bowling coach Kevin Shine envisaged during a talk at England's National Performance Centre six years ago, a strategy of risk and reward will be needed on hard, flat surfaces.
A selection that suits the conditions will demonstrate that lessons have been learned from past mistakes abroad.
Having proven his fitness in the four-day cricket for the Bears this term, Stone deserves his chance to show he can hit the magical 90mph mark at international level.
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Watch England's tour of Sri Lanka - featuring five ODIs, one Twenty20, and three Test matches - live on Sky Sports Cricket from October. Here's all you need to know.
