England will need at least one new face in the batting line-up for the third Test against South Africa after Gary Ballance suffered a broken finger. Here are five candidates to address the on-going issues they have at the top of the order
The Surrey opener, who moved from Durham over the winter, appears the frontrunner for a call-up. He was close to selection for the beginning of the series after an impressive start with his new county. He is averaging 58.53 from eight Championship matches, including three centuries with a high score of 197, but it is also the runs he scored for Durham, often in seamer-friendly conditions at Chester-le-Street where he averaged over 53 last season, which stand him in good stead. At 30 he has had time to groove a well-rounded game.
Malan has moved up England's red-ball pecking order over the last few months despite not having the most stand-out figures among the batting contenders. It has been Malan's character as much as his runs which has impressed. He made his England debut last month in the deciding T20 against South Africa, where he starred with a series-winning 78 off 44 balls in Cardiff. Like Stoneman, he was a contender at the start of the Test series before the selectors went for the more conservative option of recalling Ballance.
Often mentioned as a potential Test player over the last couple of seasons, Westley has enjoyed a timely prolific run with three centuries in his last six first-class innings, the most recent being an unbeaten 106 for England Lions against the South Africans. That hundred continued a notable record of making runs against touring sides: last season he scored 108 against the Sri Lankans to follow a 99 against the same opposition in 2011, while in 2015 he scored 144 against an Australian attack including Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon.
Hameed looked to have the opening berth sewn up for the foreseeable future after a polished start against India, where his composure stood out. However, a broken finger in suffered in Mohali - which didn't stop him making a defiant 59 not out in the second innings - meant he missed the final two Tests of the series. He returned for England Lions in Sri Lanka but didn't pass 15 in four innings and the lean run continued in the County Championship for Lancashire, where he hasn't reached fifty this season. He isn't the first young player to have suffered second-season syndrome but there is also the concern that a few technical issues may have been exposed. With the Championship currently suspended for the T20 Blast, his chances to impress are limited, but he did score a century for the 2nd XI this week.
Another player with previous Test experience - having played all seven Tests in the 2014 season against Sri Lanka and India, including a century in his second match - Robson remains a prolific county scorer who is pushing hard for a second chance at the top level. He has scored 534 runs in nine innings this season, either side of suffering a hamstring strain, and was part of the England Lions side. His tally would have been even more impressive but for a pair in his most recent outing against Warwickshire.