Ashes 2017: James Vince calls on England middle order to prove doubters wrong - with or without Ben Stokes

The 26-year-old admits he was surprised to get the nod for the toughest of tours as England prepare to do battle with Australia with the future of their star all-rounder in doubt

James Vince is determined to prove England were right to take him to Australia (Getty)

The reason so many people are writing England off before a ball has even been bowled on this Ashes tour is not only down to the likely absence of Ben Stokes for the entire series against Australia but also because of the inclusion in the squad of players like James Vince.

Stokes’ late-night contretemps in Bristol in early September has left him the subject of an ongoing police investigation that has yet to conclude whether or not England’s star all-rounder will be charged.

Australia, whatever their players say publicly, will be glad if Stokes continues to remain “unavailable for selection” as England euphemistically put it for the simple reason that without him on the field the hosts’ chances of winning improve immeasurably.

Those chances were pretty good anyway given the batting frailties that has seen the underwhelming figures of Vince, Gary Ballance and Dawid Malan all selected in England’s 16-man touring party.

And it was the selection of Vince, who averaged 19.27 in seven Tests before he was dropped at the end of the 2016 home summer, that perhaps best summed up just how desperate England’s top-order travails have become over the past year.

Tom Westley, dropped after failing to convince in five Tests last summer, may have deserved to miss out on this tour. But the choice of Vince to replace him proved that the selectors have literally found themselves going around in circles trying to find a long-term replacement at No3 for Jonathan Trott, whose presence in that pivotal position ended when he flew home following the first Test of the 2013-14 Ashes with a stress-related illness.

Vince has been picked at three on a hunch that his game will suit the faster tracks of Australia despite the fact he bats at four for Hampshire and averaged just 32 last summer.

Even the 26-year-old admits he was surprised to get the nod for the toughest and most high-profile of tours.

“Initially, I didn’t expect to get the call but after I did and I had a bit of time for it to settle in I was very excited to be coming here,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for me to establish myself in the team and kick-start my Test career. It’s probably a step up playing away in Australia but I guess I’ve got a bit more of an idea of what to expect.”

England touched down in Perth at the weekend (Getty)

In his first spell in the team, Vince continually got out to the same shot – caught in the slip cordon fishing outside off stump.

Those that fear the Australian fast bowlers will prey on that weakness will not be comforted by the fact Vince’s formula for success in this Ashes series appears to be banking on the hope he will be confronted by flat pitches here and a Kookaburra ball that offers little conventional swing.

He said: “I think everyone gets caught in the slips in Test cricket at times but I want to be a bit more selective in the balls I’m trying to attack and defend and out here it could be that that’s a good scoring opportunity for me, if the ball’s not moving about.

“Hopefully I’ll score some runs there. It’s not a shot I’m going to put away. I’ll just try to be a bit smarter in the times I use it and the balls I play it against.

“From a batting point of view the Kookaburra generally does a bit less. From a batter’s point of view, it’s a good place to come and hopefully my game is well suited to playing here.”

Vince is banking on the Kookaburra ball swinging less than its Dukes equivalent (Getty)

Vince does at least have experience of Australian conditions having played Grade cricket for Melville in Perth during his teenage years.

“I came over when I was 16 and 17 and played a couple of winters,” he said. “I had a pretty good time playing at a reasonable standard – obviously nothing compared to this – and I enjoyed the pitches and my experience here.”

Experience, or lack of it, is the chief concern about England’s batting line-up in Australia. Among the probable top seven – assuming Stokes is absent - only Alastair Cook, Root and Ballance have played an away Ashes Test before.

“I don’t think it’s a concern, it’s a great opportunity for guys like myself and Mark Stoneman at the top, Dawid Malan, Gaz and whoever gets the nod to nail a place down in the side,” said Vince.

“As Cooky said before we came out, if you do well in an Ashes series in Australia it counts for a hell of a lot. It’s more of a step up from other series, with more pressure but also excitement.”

As for the Stokes issue, Vince and England retain some hope their talisman will find his way to Australia at some point. “I don’t know the ins and outs of it, I just hope at some point he can get out here. He’s one of the best players in the side. If we get him then great but if we don’t then hopefully we’ve got a side that can cope with the Aussies.”