There are so many questions that England’s team need to answer after a winter to forget. No doubt there will be endless speculation about who will make the leap from county cricket to the England team this summer, not least after England coach Trevor Bayliss called for county players to stake their claims after the Test team made it 13 away matches without a win.

Here are the few of those that might make the step up this season.

Joe Clarke (Worcestershire)

There is no one in county cricket who makes batting look as beautiful as Joe Clarke, not even James Vince. In the recently concluded North vs South series Clarke scored 229 runs in three innings, including 112 in the final match. The newly appointed Worcestershire head coach, Kevin Sharp certainly thinks he can make it. Sharp was the batting coach at Yorkshire as Joe Root was making his way in the game and he reckons he can see similarities between the two players. “Yes, he could be the new Joe Root. He reminds me a lot of Joe Root’s credentials,” Sharp said.

Most of those that could fill those gaps, or at least give the two of them some support, have been tried at some point in the last year or so. One of those that hasn’t is Josh Tongue of Worcestershire. At the start of 2018 he is an out-there suggestion as an England player, but he has all the raw materials to make that step up.

A stress fracture to the back had prevented him making the most of the 2016 season, but he was fantastic in 2017 as he put those fitness concerns behind him. He claimed a five-wicket haul on his Championship debut against Glamorgan in Cardiff and finished the season with 47 wickets at 25.78. That was enough to get him a spot in the Lions squad this winter. He needs to back up last season’s efforts with another strong year to make his claim for a cap in the senior squad.