Nottinghamshire all-rounder Samit Patel has been included in the England Test squad to tour Sri Lanka.
Patel is named alongside Notts teammates Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann although his route to the Test side itself will bring fresh challenges with Swann and Monty Panesar in possession of the spin spots and Ravi Bopara seen as the more likely number six batsman at this stage.
"Yes, it looks at this moment in time that Ravi Bopara would take the place (of Eoin Morgan),” said National Selector Geoff Miller.
“But we'll wait and see what the conditions are like but we've also got Samitin the squad who is a quality middle-order batsman and also bowls left-arm spin.
"I'm pretty sure what conditions they'll prepare for us, and if we play two seamers and two spinners as we did in the last two Tests against Pakistan, we'll need cover for the two spinners.
“Graeme Swann is being covered by James Tredwell, and Monty Panesar by Samit. Tredwell is a very strong character, he's been the next-in-line off-spinner, and he's been preparing himself so he's ready and working hard this winter."
Nottinghamshire Director of Cricket Mick Newell has maintained regular contact with National Selector Geoff Miller and Managing Director of England Cricket Hugh Morris and is pleased that Patel’s talent is making the headlines.
“It took Samit a while to realise the only people’s opinions who really matter are Andy Flower’s and Andrew Strauss’s,” said Newell.
“There was a stubbornness and reluctance to accept what they were saying, but we got there in the end.”
England squad: AJ Strauss (captain, Middlesex), JM Anderson (Lancashire), IR Bell (Warwickshire), RS Bopara (Essex), TT Bresnan (Yorkshire), SCJ Broad (Nottinghamshire), AN Cook (Essex), ST Finn (Middlesex), MS Panesar (Sussex), SR Patel (Nottinghamshire), KP Pietersen (Surrey), MJ Prior (Sussex), GP Swann (Nottinghamshire), JC Tredwell (Kent), IJL Trott (Warwickshire)