Monday 29 September 2014 13:30, UK
Nottinghamshire star James Taylor admits he was relieved to be recalled to the England squad.
Taylor was named in the one-day international squad which will play Sri Lanka ahead of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Taylor is hoping that some good performances in one-day cricket will propel him into the Test side.
He made his debut back in 2012 in the infamous second Test with South Africa, scoring 34 in a 147-run partnership with Kevin Pietersen. That was the Test when Pietersen was accused of sending derogatory texts about skipper Andrew Strauss.
Taylor played in the third Test against the Proteas but was then dropped. The Notts skipper is now determined to win back his place.
“I’m taking a little bit of a break now – it’s been a long and hectic season. I’m looking forward to a rest. I’ve got a few weeks left and then it’s back into training,” he told Sky Sports News HQ.
“I’ve had a frustrating last few years trying to get into the England side. But I’m delighted with the call-up. It’s been another busy season for me where I’ve scored runs in all formats. So I kind of did what I needed to do.
“I try and shift that (England selection) as far away from my mind as I can. I was captain of Nottinghamshire this year so I had a nice little distraction. I knew the only way to get into the England side was to score runs in all formats. That’s what I did.
“I am desperate to play all formats of the game so hopefully I can go on and use this as a stepping stone for Test cricket.”
Taylor sees no reason why England cannot go far at the World Cup despite their dismal recent record in ODI cricket.
“If you look down the whole squad there is a lot of guys with a lot of experience and there’s a lot of exciting players with both bat and ball,” he said. “It’s an exciting time for England with the World Cup around the corner. We’ve got a preparation period in Sri Lanka with seven ODIs and the tri-series before the World Cup.
“We’ve got a lot to prove and we’ll be trying to do that before the World Cup.”
