HAMPSHIRE captain James Vince said confirmation of his Test call-up “took a little while to sink in”, when he was told during the last day of the Specsavers County Championship defeat against Lancashire.
After days of speculation that he was in line for a Test call-up, Vince received a phone call from England selector James Whitaker during the lunch interval at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
“It’s something I’ve been aiming for since I was a little kid really,” said the 25-year-old Hampshire captain, who made four T20 appearances for England during the winter after being given his international debut in a rain-ruined ODI against Ireland in Dublin last year.
“Definitely when I was growing up, playing for England in a Test was still the number one.
“I’ve had the experience of the T20s in Dubai against Pakistan, when it was a good feeling being able to contribute to the team.
"Being in the World T20 squad was a great experience as well although obviously I would have liked to have played more of a part.
“Since then I’ve turned my attention to Hampshire and trying to have a good start to the season.
"It’s only the last week when I started to notice stuff in the press. But to get the call, it took a while to sink in.”
Vince will return to Headingley with the England squad this weekend, just a few weeks after his match-saving 119 against county champions Yorkshire.
“Obviously I wasn’t there long ago and it was nice to spend some time in the middle,” he added.
"“But this is going to be a different feeling. I’m really looking forward to it, I’m going to try and soak it all up and enjoy it.”
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