After being named in England's Test squad for their upcoming series against Pakistan, Notts Outlaws captain James Taylor has labelled the five-day format as the 'pinnacle of the game' after impressing for his country in the recent Royal London One-Day International series against Australia.

Taylor is joined by county colleagues Alex Hales and Stuart Broad in the touring party to the UAE as he looks to add to his two caps he won against South Africa back in 2012.

With the three-Test tour likely to be dictated by spin bowling, Taylor is eager to challenge himself in some of the toughest conditions with a skill that he has mastered on the county scene.

“The Test arena is a place I have been desperate to get back to, it is the pinnacle of the sport,” the 25-year-old said.

“I definitely feel like I can perform at Test level and do a good job in whatever role England choose to put me in.

“The last squad I was involved in was the Ashes a couple of years back so over the past two years there has been a lot of hard work put in.

“The conditions in the UAE are very different but somewhere I will enjoy batting and challenging myself.

“I have played a little bit of ODI cricket over there and I know there will be plenty of spin, it will be a challenge but also good fun at the same time.”

Having come in for the rested Joe Root in the recent ODI series, Taylor excelled at number three in the order, scoring a maiden century in the crucial victory at Old Trafford and ended the series with 246 runs at an average of 49.2.

Now, the Notts Outlaws captain is aiming to take that form in to the winter and secure a place in the Test side.

“First of all it was about securing a place in the squad and now it is about doing the hard work to get a place in the final eleven,” he said.

“If I do get a starting place I have to take the opportunity with both hands like I did in the one-day arena.

“The aim will be to take the form I have got from the ODIs in to the Test arena and score the runs I know I can.”

 

Trent Bridge will host England's One-Day Internationals against Sri Lanka and Pakistan in 2016. Sign up here to be the first to hear about fixture and ticketing information for these two matches.