5 Uncapped Players England Should Consider for Test Selection

England may have only just returned from their tour of the West Indies, but they quickly find themselves preparing for another Test series.

New Zealand are next up for Alastair Cook's side, with the first Test getting underway at Lord's on May 21.

The Black Caps should provide England with a tough challenge ahead of the main event—an Ashes series against Australia—later in the summer.

But, who will make up the XI for the home team?

They will at least have to find another new opening partner for captain Cook, as Jonathan Trott retired from international cricket after the 1-1 draw in the Caribbean.

Here, we pick out five uncapped players who could be considered for selection.

If you think someone else deserves national recognition, use the comments section at the bottom of the page.

Adam Lyth could consider himself unfortunate not to have been given a chance in the Caribbean.

The Yorkshire batsman lost out to Jonathan Trott in the battle to open the innings alongside captain Alastair Cook.

However, with Trott struggling and subsequently ending his England career, Lyth would seem next in line to fill a problematic position that has troubled the selectors ever since Andrew Strauss retired.

The left-handed Lyth scored 1,489 runs in the LV= County Championship last year, helping the Tykes go on to win the Division One title.

The 27-year-old has hit 15 first-class centuries, the most recent of them coming against the MCC XI that included Cook in their ranks in Dubai back in March.

Since then, though, he has barely spent any time in the middle, hardly ideal preparations for a Test debut against a dangerous New Zealand attack.

If England want a more aggressive opener alongside Alastair Cook, they should look no further than Alex Hales.

He has already won international honours in limited-overs cricket, including being part of England's 15-man squad at the World Cup earlier this year.

A right-hander who has a Twenty20 hundred to his name at the highest level—a feat no other Englishman has achieved—Hales' selection would give the Test XI a left-right combination at the top of the order.

The 26-year-old has pressed his claims in the longest format with an impressive start to the domestic season.

He hit a career-best innings of 236 for Nottinghamshire against reigning Division One champions Yorkshire, then followed that up with scores of 141 and 94 against Hampshire.

However, he has been batting at three for his county in first-class action so far this year.

Like Adam Lyth, Mark Wood was another of the travelling party to the West Indies who did not see any action in the three Tests.

The Durham paceman does not have a wealth of first-class experience to call upon, though he's done enough in the games he has played to catch the eye of the selectors.

He returned home from the Caribbean to make his international debut in 50-over cricket, in the one-off ODI against Ireland in Dublin.

While rain ruined the occasion in Malahide, the 25-year-old gave a brief glimpse of his abilities by taking one for 25 in five overs.

He hails from Ashington, Northumberland, the same place where former England paceman, Steve Harmison, also grew up.

Wood would not be alone if he was to get picked by England—he always has his magic horse to keep him company in the field, as he explained to Ali Martin of the Guardian.

Lewis Gregory has been a shining light in a dismal start to the season for Somerset.

The Plymouth-born pace bowler has taken 15 wickets in three LV= County Championship fixtures in 2015, despite his team suffering a hat-trick of defeats.

A former captain of England at junior level, the 22-year-old's impressive start to the new campaign saw him called up to the one-day squad for the game against Ireland.

Although he did not make the final XI, the experience will have done him no harm.

Gregory is also more than capable of scoring runs down the order—he hit a maiden List-A century last year and averages 18.52 in first-class action with the bat.

Few would have suggested James Harris for a seam-bowling berth in England's Test side at the start of 2015.

However, the Welshman should be considered a contender to face New Zealand after claiming a hatful of wickets for Middlesex in the early stages of the summer. 

His best performance of the year so far came against Durham, as he claimed nine for 34 at Lord's.

Harris admits he has gone back to basics this year, per Ali Martin of the Guardian: “It was said that if I was half a yard quicker I’d be that much closer to getting an England call-up, and that’s what we went searching for. You could argue that we probably found it but it was at the detriment to what I did naturally."

He has been involved with the England Lions and also the Performance Programme in the past, though he has yet to play international cricket.

It is tough to believe he is still only 24, considering he made his first-class debut for Glamorgan back in May 2007. There is still plenty of time for him to make a mark at the highest level.

There are obviously more than just the five names mentioned in the frame to play for England.

Varun Chopra has been a consistent scorer at the top of Warwickshire's batting order and has previously played for England Lions.

Zafar Ansari is another opener who could be considered—he made his international debut in the recent one-dayer against Ireland, albeit bad weather denied him the chance to impress.

However, the 23-year-old has two strings to his bow. Ansari's left-arm spin could make him a challenger for Moeen Ali's place in the middle order, too.

Off-spinner Adam Riley of Kent and Yorkshire leg-spinner Adil Rashid did not make the shortlist as England are unlikely to consider picking two spinners so early in the summer.

Rashid's county colleague Jack Brooks is another seam-bowling option who has yet to be capped.

Chris Rushworth also deserves a mention—he may lack a little pace for the top level, but few bowlers in county cricket perform better with the new ball. In May, and at Lord's, he could be a real handful.

All stats used in the article were provided by ESPN Cricinfo