Vince excited by maiden Test call-up

Hampshire captain James Vince was named in a 12-man party on Thursday for next week's first Test, as one of two uncapped players along with Nottinghamshire seamer Jake Ball.

James Vince batting for Hampshire.

James Vince intends to "soak up" the atmosphere at Headingley when he makes his England Test debut against Sri Lanka.

Hampshire captain Vince was named in a 12-man party on Thursday for next week's first Test, as one of two uncapped players along with Nottinghamshire seamer Jake Ball. However, while Ball appears likely to serve as cover for England's senior bowlers, Vince is set to feature in Leeds after being selected to fill the middle-order vacancy left by James Taylor's retirement due to medical reasons.

Having scored 119 against Yorkshire on a recent County Championship visit to Headingley, Vince told the ECB's official website: "Obviously I wasn't there long ago and it was nice to spend some time in the middle. But this is going to be a different feeling. I'm really looking forward to it, and I'm going to try and soak it all up and enjoy it."

Vince, 25, has been capped five times by England in limited-overs cricket and impressed in Twenty20s against Pakistan earlier this year before making one appearance at the World T20 in India when Alex Hales was absent through injury.

He added: "I've had the experience of the T20s in Dubai against Pakistan, when it was a good feeling being able to contribute to the team. Being in the World T20 squad was a great experience as well, although obviously I would have liked to have played more of a part."

"Since then I've turned my attention to Hampshire and trying to have a good start to the season. It's only the last week when I started to notice stuff in the press. But to get the call, it took a while to sink in. It's something I've been aiming for since I was a little kid, really. Definitely when I was growing up, playing for England in a Test was still the number one."