Whitby cricketer Lyth ‘cannot wait’ for full England debut

File photo dated 12-09-2014 of Yorkshire's Adam Lyth celebrates winning the Division One County Championship trophy during day four of the LV= County Championship Division One match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Tuesday December 16, 2014. At 27, Lyth is hardly a newcomer but a stellar 2014 season for Yorkshire has put him in pole position to partner England captain Alastair Cook in next summer's Ashes series. Doubts over Sam Robson, the most recent man to hold the post, are all too evident and Lyth's main competition may well come from his Yorkshire opening partner Alex Lees, who at 21 looks the long-term solution. All three will have the chance to stake their claim on the England Lions tour to South Africa in January. See PA story SPORT Christmas 10 to watch. Photo credit should read Mike Egerton/PA Wire.

Details of the squad were announced yesterday (Thurs) afternoon after the Gazette had gone to print, but we caught up with Yorkshire opener Lyth, who said he was over the moon with the call.

The series kicks off next Thursday at Lords and 27-year-old Lyth cannot wait to get started.

“I’m excited to get down to Lords and hopefully get some runs on my debut - it is one of the best places in the world,” he said.

“With the Lords Test coming up, I am going to be very excited with the build-up that goes with it, then we’re at my home ground Headingley [for the second Test] so I’m pretty sure there will be a lot of local support from Whitby going up to watch.

“They are the best two grounds you can play for your first two Tests of your career.”

While concentrating on one game at a time, Lyth knows that two good performances could enhance his chances of featuring against the in-form Australians for the summer Ashes series.

“Hopefully I’ll score a lot of runs and then it’s the big one - The Ashes - it doesn’t get much bigger, against probably the best nation at the minute in Australia.

“They have a lot of great players but so do we.

“I’ve been working so hard for this for all these years and looking like it’s paying off.”