Ballance impresses in Perth to put himself in frame

Ballance made his highest score of the winter in a second-wicket stand of 193 with opener Sam Robson (108no) as EPP reached 220-2 declared, in reply to Western Australia 2nd XI’s 
319-8 declared, on day two of three at James Oval.

Left-arm fast bowler Tymal Mills then took 3-6 to put WA’s second innings in immediate trouble, with all his wickets coming in his first eight deliveries as the hosts stumbled to 14 for four. The hostile spell may well have caught Flower’s eye too.

However, Tim Armstrong (76no) hit his second half-century of the match to underpin a recovery to 167-6 at stumps.

Unlike Sydney-born Robson, who was making his second successive EPP century, Ballance is in England’s full Test squad - preparing across town to face Australia on Friday and hoping to overturn a 2-0 deficit with three matches to play.

Asked about the possibility of a first Test cap at some point this winter, the Yorkshire left-hander said: “I haven’t really thought about that too much.

“I’m just trying to look at this as good preparation. If I do get a chance, I feel I am ready.”

Another Yorkshire batsman, Alex Lees, meanwhile, believes he is closer to the England setup than onlookers might expect.

Lees enjoyed a breakout summer in 2013, following a maiden first-class century at Lord’s with a record breaking unbeaten 275 against Derbyshire in July to become Yorkshire’s youngest double centurion.

With Ballance being widely touted for a debut on the Ashes tour, Lees – currently with the EPP squad himself in Australia – believes his fellow left-hander’s progress offers encouragement.

“It’s the realisation that if you do work hard, you are actually closer than you are maybe perceived,” he said. “All it takes is a blinding summer and you’re being mentioned for the team, so hopefully I have a good couple of years and keep doing the right thing and we’ll see what happens.

“When you start playing for Yorkshire or the academy, you are playing with the guys week in, week out. All of a sudden you see those lads, they go up and do well and there is that realisation that you’re actually not too far away.

“I have obviously got to concentrate on getting runs for Yorkshire at the minute and really establishing myself in that team first.”

Follow the England Performance Programme squad and their progress this winter at www.ecb.co.uk/epp