5 Players Who Could Be Alastair Cook's Next Opening Partner for England

England find themselves once again looking for an opening partner for captain Alastair Cook.

Jonathan Trott filled the role during the recent three-Test series against West Indies, but a difficult tour to the Caribbean has resulted in the batsman announcing his international retirement.

The Warwickshire right-hander made 72 runs in six innings after being recalled to the side.

His struggles led to him calling it a day, putting an end to an England career that saw him feature in 52 Tests. Trott said, per ECB.co.uk:

This was a tough decision to make but I don’t feel my game is at the level you need to be at to play for England.

I was honoured to be given the opportunity to come back and play international cricket again and I’m disappointed it didn’t work out.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped me and given me the chance to represent England and to thank supporters for all their backing over the years.

Now, with a series against New Zealand to come on home soil and an Ashes battle against Australia looming on the horizon, England must work out who is going to be at the top of the order.

Here we offer five potential candidates to bat alongside captain Cook.

Adam Lyth would appear to be the next cab off the rank in terms of opening batsmen.

The left-hander had a stellar domestic season for Yorkshire in 2014, scoring 1,489 runs to help his county win the LV= County Championship Division One title.

His reward was a place in England's squad for the trip to West Indies, though Jonathan Trott was given the nod for the vacancy at the top of the order.

Now, however, Lyth will hope to get the chance to start the summer opening up alongside Alastair Cook.

He boasts a first-class average of 43.27 and started his 2015 campaign in fine style, hitting a century against an MCC XI in Abu Dhabi in the curtain-raiser to the domestic season.

Alex Hales has pushed himself into contention for a Test call-up with a superb start to the 2015 season.

The right-hander has already made 639 first-class runs for Nottinghamshire, including hitting a career-best 236 against reigning county champions Yorkshire.

However, Hales' impressive knock came with him batting at three in the order.

Still, he has opened before in international cricket, albeit in limited-overs action. The 26-year-old is the only player to have hit a Twenty20 century for England, and he averages 37.92 in the shortest format.

An aggressive player who hits beautifully through the off side, Hales would be a gamble for England. But perhaps he is a risk worth taking during such a huge year.

Timing is important as a batsman. It's also important when it comes to attracting the attention of the national selectors.

Sam Robson picked the ideal moment to return to form in domestic cricket, hitting 178 for Middlesex at Lord's in the same week England were slipping to defeat in the third Test in Barbados.

Born in Australia but able to play for England due to his mother being born in Nottinghamshire, per his ESPN Cricinfo bio, the 25-year-old has already made seven Test appearances for his adopted homeland.

He did hit a century against Sri Lanka at Headingley last summer, though an average of 30.54 after 11 innings was not enough for him to keep his place.

The right-handed batsman toured with England Lions in the winter but was not selected in the squad to travel to the West Indies.

England could look to promote from within to fill the problematic position at the top of the order.

Joe Root has been used as an opener before in Test cricket, doing the job for the entirety of the last Ashes played on English soil, in the summer of 2013.

He made 180 at Lord's against Australia, though he managed only one further score over 50 in his other nine trips to the crease during the series.

Root has since returned to the middle order in Test action, with No. 5 being his most successful position to date (he averages 85 when batting there).

It would be a risk to move him again, particularly after he scored 358 runs against West Indies.

If England don't want to shift Joe Root from his current role, they could instead push another player up to open.

Moeen Ali has batted at either six or seven so far in his fledgling Test career, though he comes in much higher up the order for his county, Worcestershire.

The left-hander has experienced opening before in international cricket, filling the role during the 50-over Cricket World Cup earlier this year.

He has registered one hundred and one half-century in the longest form of the game to date, while his first-class average stands at 38.46.

When asked about the possibility of opening, Moeen recently told Sky Sports News HQ: "There are some really good players out there, Adam Lyth is sitting on the bench and he is a fantastic opener. But like I say if they ask me to open then I’ll open but if they want me to bat 11 then I’ll bat 11. I don’t really mind."

However, as England's front-line spinner, the selectors may be loathed to heap extra pressure on his shoulders while he is still learning his trade as a slow bowler.

England can hardly claim they are short of candidates to open the batting.

Nick Compton and Michael Carberry—two players who have previously been tried in the role—could come back into the mix.

Compton, who returned to Middlesex during the off-season after a successful spell at Somerset, scored two centuries in his nine Test appearances, the last of which came in May 2013.

Carberry, meanwhile, has played in six Tests. He opened in the most recent Ashes series, in Australia, but was jettisoned once England returned home having suffered a 5-0 defeat.

If the national selectors want a younger option instead, they could opt to select Alex Lees.

The Yorkshireman is only 22, but with a first-class average of 41.87, he looks like a real talent.

All stats used in the article were from ESPN Cricinfo.