Five alternatives for Keaton Jennings

#3 Sam Robson

Sam Robson hit a century for England early in his career, but a loss of form saw him return to county cricket

Migrating from Australia in search of more opportunities – he even represented his country of birth at the Under-19 level – Robson gained from having an English mother. Having first represented his county Middlesex in 2009, a sound defence and a clean drive characterized Robson, who enjoyed the 2013 County Championship season, compiling 1,180 runs while averaging 47.

He carried that positive momentum into the England Performance Programme squad’s visit to Australia, whose pitches, naturally, Robson already knew by heart, and then to Sri Lanka, where he played for the England Lions team.

An aggregate of five hundreds across both tours brought Robson on the selectors' radar, and the fact that by August 2013 he had completed the required criteria to be eligible to represent his adopted nation meant he was not far from an England debut.

Like Adam Lyth, he soon found himself wearing the England whites, when he appeared in his first Test against Sri Lanka in 2014; like Lyth, he cracked a ton, which went in vain, in only his second Test; and like Lyth, found himself back to playing county cricket after merely seven Tests.

However, unlike Lyth, Robson has amassed 534 runs this Championship season at an impressive average of 59.33, including scores of 149 and 159.

Hence, there is every chance that England could return to their discarded opener, especially as they are to visit his native Australia for the Ashes later this year.