England captain Andrew Strauss has backed Nottinghamshire batsman James Taylor to make a solid account of himself when he makes his Test debut at Headingley today.
Taylor was called up to replace Ravi Bopara following the withdrawal of the Essex batsman for personal reasons and will bat at number six.
"James is just at the start of his career. But I think he's got an old head on young shoulders, and he'll stand up well to any challenge he encounters," said Strauss.
"What I like about him is that he bats higher up the order and averages really well in first-class cricket. His record stands up there with anyone's, and we've got a proper batter at number six who can play really long innings.
"With the tail we've got, we've a lot of guys who can contribute but you need someone to hang around with them, and we hope James can do that. I've seen him a few times, and he looks very organised for a young guy and knows his game very well.”
England won the toss at Headingley and elected to bowl first.