Toby Roland-Jones and Tom Westley one step away from booking their place on Ashes tour

Success, of course, is never guaranteed in international sport and Roland-Jones and Westley will approach the series decider at Lord’s starting on Thursday from very different vantage points

Toby Roland-Jones in training with the England squad (Getty)

For both Toby Roland-Jones and Tom Westley there is not only the opportunity this week to help England win a Test match and a series against West Indies but also the motivation of knowing they are one telling performance away from booking their place on this winter’s Ashes tour.

Success, of course, is never guaranteed in international sport and Roland-Jones and Westley will approach the series decider at Lord’s starting on Thursday from very different vantage points.

The Middlesex bowler, harshly dropped for the second Test at Headingley, is full of confidence after taking 14 wickets at 19.35 in his first three matches and he is the only change from the team that suffered a shock five-wicket defeat by West Indies in Leeds that levelled the series at 1-1.

Westley can count himself lucky that is the case after a run of four successive single-figure scores have seen him cling on to his place at No 3 by his finger nails. Indeed, confidence and form are in short supply for the Essex batsman.

Tellingly, Roland-Jones comes in to the team on his home ground for Chris Woakes, the man who displaced him in the XI for Headingley and who, in his first Test back following a side strain, looked distinctly short of match sharpness as he returned figures of two for 122 from his 33.2 overs.

Roland-Jones’ recall is not only a tacit admission from England that they got their selection wrong in Leeds but also an indication that the 29-year-old is now perhaps the preferred option ahead of Woakes to be the fourth seamer in Joe Root’s team for that first Ashes Test against Australia in Brisbane in November.

Root suggested as much when asked if a fully-fit Woakes or Roland-Jones was his preferred choice for the winter. “It is hard to say,” said England’s captain. “The way Chris has played for England over the last year or so and been such a focal point of our team, it is hard to look past that but when someone like Toby comes in and does as well as he has it is a great problem to have. You want guys putting in strong performances and making it difficult to leave them out.”

Roland-Jones in action for England during the first Test (Getty)

Did England rush Woakes back for Headingley?

“It is a difficult one,” admitted Root. “He passed all the fitness tests and seemed fit and it is difficult to balance between being physically fit and bowling the right amount in games.

“Going into this week we have picked the side that suits conditions best and Toby deserves the opportunity.”

Westley, too, knows a place in England’s team for the Gabba is within touching distance. The only problem for the 28-year-old is he knows he could just as easily be discarded for the tour unless he produces a big score in this Test. His promising debut at The Oval in July, when he impressed in scoring a half-century, now seems a long time ago.

“Nobody knows his game as well as he does,” said Root. “He has had a lot of success over the years. He is very smart. He is intelligent and desperate to take his chance this week and make a big score.

“The best way to look at it for any player is any time you go out and play for England it is an opportunity to do something very special.

“As much as possible you want guys to have that attitude. Hopefully, as I said, Tom can come back and show the strong character he has as a person and come back from a couple of low scores.”

Root, who at Lord’s can become the first batsman to make 50-plus scores in 13 successive Tests, says there has been no discussion about him moving back up the order from four to No 3.

Root says there's been no discussion of moving up the order (AFP/Getty Images)

“Not coming into this week,” he said. “We did not discuss it. Four is where I feel most comfortable. Tom deserves the opportunity to play this week and hopefully will go out and score a bagload of runs.”

With James Anderson, the leader of England’s attack, just three wickets away from reaching 500 in Tests, there are other sub-plots that will play out at Lord’s over the next five days or so.

Opener Mark Stoneman, playing his third Test and buoyed by a half-century at Headingley, and No5 Dawid Malan also require runs to secure their Ashes places.

Yet England know they will head to Australia with far more confidence if they can seal a second successive series victory after overcoming South Africa 3-1 in Root’s first assignment as captain earlier this summer.

West Indies can claim a first series win in England since 1988 (Getty)

West Indies, who stand on the brink of their first series win in England since 1988, might have something to say about that.

However, Root said: “Every series you want to go out and win and, of course, that momentum would be great going into this winter.

“But I will look back at the end of the summer if we have a good week with a lot more ease. It would be great to finish this summer with a win.”

Teams

England: Cook, Stoneman, Westley, Root (captain), Malan, Stokes, Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Moeen, Roland-Jones, Broad, Anderson.

West Indies (probable): Brathwaite, Powell, K Hope, S Hope, Chase, Blackwood, Dowrich (wicketkeeper), Holder (captain), Roach, Bishoo, Gabriel