5 England Lions Players Who Could Play Tests for England Soon

England’s second-string England Lions squad have just concluded their three-match one day series against Bangladesh A, taking a 2-1 win over their counterparts from the sub-continent.

Thoughts now return to the end of the county cricket season for these England players, although soon there will be places up for grabs on the Ashes tour to Australia starting in November and in the future series.

In that case, let’s take a look at five players from the Lions who could find themselves receiving full international honours in the near future.

James Taylor (Leicestershire)

Seemingly the next in line to bat in England’s middle order, Leicestershire’s James Taylor has already made two Test appearances for his country since making his debut against South Africa in 2012.

Since his baptism of fire against the Proteas, Taylor has been given time to continue developing his game with the Lions and with his county, and he has been impressive this year in First Class cricket, scoring 843 runs at an average of 56.20 (per ESPNCricinfo).

If he maintains his form to the end of the season, Taylor may have a good crack at occupying England’s troublesome No. 6 spot.

Gary Ballance (Yorkshire)

Another young batsman who could have a good chance of breaking into England’s middle order is Yorkshire’s Zimbabwe-born Gary Ballance.

A left-hander who has impressed for both the Lions and for his county over the last few years, Ballance qualifies as an England player and represents another good option at No. 6.

Yorkshire’s conveyor belt of young talent keeps turning, and Ballance could well find himself joining county teammate Joe Root on the international stage.

Ben Stokes (Durham)

Another to have already achieved international recognition in the One Day International and International Twenty20 arenas, Durham all-rounder Ben Stokes has consistently been touted as the "next Andrew Flintoff" as reported by the Daily Mail.

Despite what could be a hard tag to live up to, Stokes has the ability to hit the ball a long way and take wickets with his nagging medium pace bowling.

As reported by ESPNCricinfo.com, perhaps his previous disciplinary problems on tour will count against him, but surely England could do so much worse if they are looking for another option.

Danny Briggs (Hampshire)

The search for a second spinner and long-term successor to Graeme Swann continues for England, and Hampshire left-armer Danny Briggs could be one of the next in line.

He is another who has already been capped in One Day Internationals and Twenty20 Internationals, and looked impressive against Pakistan in his only ODI appearance.  

Briggs is still only 22 years old but has already had plenty of experience for his county and has taken wickets in all forms of the game. With Monty Panesar’s well-documented recent troubles, the time is now for Briggs to push his case and force his way into the Test reckoning.

Boyd Rankin (Warwickshire)

The final Lion in the reckoning for a future Test spot is Boyd Rankin of Warwickshire, a man who made his debut for England in the Twenty20 International series against New Zealand earlier this year.

Rankin has already gained plenty of experience with Ireland in the international arena, earning 37 caps and also playing in the 2007 and 2011 World Cups.

Given his international experience with Ireland and the 28 wickets (per ESPNCricinfo) he has taken for Warwickshire this season, Rankin could be another to figure from a Bears team that has provided a number of England players in recent years.