Hampshire skipper relishing '˜second chance' in Ashes

The Hampshire skipper has been pencilled in as England’s problem position of number three.

Vince scored 212 runs at an average of 19.27 in seven Tests following his debut against Sri Lanka at Headingley last May.

The 26-year-old right-hander was left out of this summer’s battles with South Africa and the West Indies.

Vince admitted his surprise at his selection for the tour to Australia this winter. But he is now determined to make his mark Down Under.

He said: ‘It’s a second chance. Cookie [Alastair Cook] alluded to it before we came out, that an Ashes series is bigger than any other, if you come here and do well, it can kickstart your career.

‘I’ve had 12 months away from Test cricket and I was disappointed with how my career started. But this is a great opportunity here to put it right and get myself established in the Test side.

‘We’re here to win, that’s the bottom line and I hope I can play a part in us winning the Ashes. We’re very confident with the group of guys we’ve got here.

‘There are going to be tough times – a bit of pace maybe – but nothing we haven’t dealt with before and nothing we can’t deal with.

‘I wouldn’t say it’s daunting. It’s a great challenge. This whole series is going to be challenging but a great chance for guys to step up and make a name for themselves.’

England begin their warm-up matches on Saturday with a two-day game against a Western Australia XI at the WACA in Perth. The first Test starts on November 23 in Brisbane.