AFTER watching England’s Test series against Pakistan over the last month, I believe Jonny Bairstow has done enough to earn himself a run as wicketkeeper, starting in South Africa next month.

A series defeat such as this usually throws up questions over selection, and the wicketkeeping situation is one.

I may be biased but I think Jonny has shown enough with the bat by returning some nice 30s and 40s without grasping it.

What also got highlighted was the potency of the spinners. But we had Adil Rashid, who has only played three games at that level, and Moeen Ali, who was initially a batter who bowls but has turned himself into a very good bowler.

I’m not worried about the spin. Hopefully, those two get the backing. They’ve played in turning conditions and now know what it takes to be more effective.

Rash will take a lot away from how Yasir Shah bowled. He can look at his game, develop and become a world-class spinner, which is not an overnight process.

I’m also keen to see some consistency at the top of the batting order. Personally, opening and knowing how I went this year, it’s a mighty hard place to bat.

Whether it’s in sport or business, if you’re only getting 15 days or six innings to prove yourself, it’s probably not enough.

Initially, I would have liked them to have stuck with Adam Lyth. There’s also Alex Hales, who is a very good player but hasn’t ripped up first-class cricket over the last few years even though last year was outstanding.

Moeen’s a good player, and I don’t think there’s much to lose by giving him another couple of Tests opening. It adds the extra option to the team. But if he doesn’t perform, Hales has to get his chance. A little bit of consistency in anything you do is often the way to go.

Despite losing, it was a really competitive series in which England played some good cricket. I think there were enough positives to suggest next winter’s tour to India can be successful.

It just seems that in key moments they have had a crazy hour here and there or a crazy session, which made the difference.

They are a talented bunch but a new team in the realms of Test cricket. There’s not masses of experience, and sometimes you’ve just got to experience these moments.

It’s all a learning experience at the minute. Having said that, you don’t want that to go on for too long because, in Test cricket, you want results.

I’m already looking forward to watching the South Africa series. It will be fascinating and a gauge as to where this England team is at.

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WE are due to return to Yorkshire pre-season training at Headingley on November 18, and will be in for four days a week through the winter until we go on tour to Abu Dhabi and Dubai in mid-March.

I’ve had a good break, including a holiday, since the end of the season, and the time off has been like gold dust.

Training will initially be a lot of fitness work, and I plan to pick up a bat again maybe just before Christmas or in early January.

This winter’s preparations will be different for me given that in the last couple of years I've been to places such as Sri Lanka and South Africa for large parts with the England Lions and on their Performance Programme camps.

You are pretty much batting for 12 months of the year when involved in those camps. It is a case of fitness sessions, batting for a couple of hours, a rehab session afterwards and repeating it for 10 to 12 days or however long the camp is.

I have enjoyed the time at home. I am looking forward to the opportunity to get fitter and stronger and work on more specific aspects of my batting, which will hopefully help me achieve what I want to next summer and beyond.