England are in a state of limbo at the moment, with no permanent chairman, managing director or head coach heading into a busy summer of Test cricket as they embark upon their so-called 'red-ball reset'.
Joe Root's side are currently bottom of the World Test Championship, have won just one of their last 17 Test matches and have failed to win any of their last five Test series for the first time in history. It is clear that major structural change is needed to help revitalise England's Test fortunes, but in the more immediate future the new management team may look to introduce some new faces.
Alex Lees, Saqib Mahmood and Matt Fisher all made their debuts on the recent tour of the West Indies and more debutants could be introduced during the summer. With that in mind, Mirror Sport has taken a look at ten uncapped prospects who could push their case in this year's County Championship.
Tom Haines - Sussex
The opener position has been a long-standing issue for England dating back to Andrew Strauss this time it in 2012. Lees and Zak Crawley are the incumbents at the moment, but neither player really made the position their own in the Caribbean.
23-year-old Sussex captain Tom Haines is a promising young prospect and he enjoyed a brilliant 2021. As captain of a highly inexperienced Sussex side, Haines scored 1176 runs at an average of 47.04.
Should he follow up last season's exploits with another prolific one, he may well enter England's thinking at some point during the summer.
Rob Yates - Warwickshire
Another impressive young prospect who enjoyed a breakout season last year, Rob Yates was a key part of Warwickshire's title winning side at the top of the order. The youngster made 793 runs at an average of 37.76 and particularly impressed England's all-time leading scorer Sir Alastair Cook.
Speaking to the Guardian in 2019 shortly after Yates made his debut as a teenager, Cook name checked him as a future England opener. "Yates at Warwickshire is definitely in my mould and grinds it out," he said. "He's very organised."
As is the case with Haines, should Yates enjoy another prolific season this year, he could be in line to make his England debut later this summer.
Josh Bohannon - Lancashire
Josh Bohannon was part of the England Lions squad this winter following an impressive season where he made 853 runs at an average of 53.31 and will be looking to earn a senior call-up this summer. A gutsy middle-order batter with an impressive career average of 43.97, the 24-year-old was in contention for last month's West Indies tour.
Bohannon has been name checked by former England assistant coach Paul Farbrace as a standout talent who 'watches the ball carefully, plays under his eyes and seems to have a good temperament'. Another year of impressive performances for Lancashire will leave him well-placed to debut should a spot in England's middle-order become available.
Joe Clarke - Nottinghamshire
Regarded as perhaps the most talented uncapped batter on the county circuit, Joe Clarke was one of England's reserve players for their tour of the Caribbean. Clarke's inclusion on the list was notable given the ECB blacklisted him back in 2019 following revelations about his off-field behaviour which emerged during the rape trial of his former Worcestershire teammate Alex Hepburn.
During the trial, Clarke was named as a member of a WhatsApp group which featured disrespectful messages about women and was described by the judge as a "pathetic sexist game to collect as many sexual encounters as possible". Hepburn was ultimately found guilty while Clarke, although not guilty of any crime, was blacklisted by the ECB.
His inclusion as a reserve player is the first sign that Clarke is back in England contention and, having opted not to enter the IPL auction in order to focus on red-ball cricket, a good start to the season could put him in the running for a Test debut.
Liam Livingstone - Lancashire
After becoming a crucial part of England's white-ball side, Liam Livingstone may well become part of the red-ball team too. Although his white-ball exploits have affected his recent record in first-class cricket, Livingstone still averages close to 40.
The 28-year-old has insisted that he remains keen to play Test cricket and his ability to dominate bowling attacks has seen the likes of Shane Warne, Kevin Pietersen and David Lloyd champion his cause. However, his involvement in this year's IPL means he will miss the opening rounds of the County Championship.
Matt Parkinson - Lancashire
Unlucky not to have debuted in the Caribbean, Parkinson was first named in an England Test squad back in 2019 and can count himself unlucky to still be uncapped. Spin remains a problem area for England in Test cricket and Parkinson boasts an impressive first-class record of 102 wickets at an average of 23.35.
Last year, he picked up 36 wickets at an average of 20.55 in the County Championship and Warne was a big admirer of his skills. Parkinson is capable of spinning the ball a long way nan has taken plenty of highlight real wickets in his career so far.
Should Jack Leach fail to impress this summer, Parkinson may finally get his chance.
Callum Parkinson - Leicestershire
The less heralded of the Parkinson twins, Callum has developed into a potent weapon for Leicestershire in first-class cricket. He was the second leading wicket-taker among spinners in last year's County Championship with 50 scalps at 29.04.
Only Essex star Simon Harmer, who recently returned to the international stage with South Africa, took more wickets than Parkinson. Last year was something of a breakout season for the 25-year-old in red-ball cricket and England will surely be keen to see him enjoy another impressive campaign.
Brydon Carse - Durham
A seamer with express pace, Brydon Carse made his England debut as part of the makeshift ODI side which beat Pakistan after the original squad was sidelined by a coronavirus outbreak. Carse impressed against Pakistan, taking a five-wicket haul in the final ODI at Edgbaston before a knee injury derailed his progress.
The 26-year-old was part of the England Lions squad this winter, but got injured in a practice session. Carse did not feature at all on the tour, missed a subsequent Big Bash stint with Perth Scorchers and is set to miss the start of the season.
However, once he returns to action, a string of impressive performances could see him fast-tracked into the Test team. With Jofra Archer and Olly Stone not expected to play Test cricket this summer due to their own injury problems, England are on the lookout for some extra pace and Carse could fill that void.
Liam Norwell - Warwickshire
Having picked up 54 wickets at an average of 17.85 to help Warwickshire win the County Championship and the Bob Willis Trophy last year, Norwell featured for the England Lions squad over the winter. And the 30-year-old made the most of his opportunity, picking up 5-58 against Australia A to end the tour as the most impressive seamer in the Lions set-up.
As a result, he was among the reserve players for the West Indies tour and put on standby for a potential call-up when Mark Wood suffered a shoulder injury. With that in mind, it would not be a surprise to see him make his England debut this summer.
David Payne - Gloucestershire
Once Wood went down injured in the Caribbean, England suffered from a real lack of variety in their seam attack. In Fisher, Mahmood, Chris Woakes, Ollie Robinson and Craig Overton, England's options were very similar and a left-arm seamer would offer more variety.
With Sam Curran missing through injury, David Payne should surely come into contention. The 31-year-old took 34 wickets at an average of 21.14 last season and has been in and around the England setup in recent years, albeit in white-ball cricket.
