Nottinghamshire seamer Jake Ball says his taste of the environment surrounding the England squad has only further fuelled his international ambitions.

Captain Alastair Cook confirmed that Chris Woakes is set to return in place of the injured Ben Stokes for the second Investec Test against Sri Lanka, meaning Ball will have to wait for his debut in the Test arena.

However, the 25-year-old believes his time with the squad has given him a glimpse of what is to come.

“It was nice to get out on the field during the first game and be out in the middle during a Test match,” said Ball.

“It has given me a little bit of extra desire to push and get myself out there properly.

“The first session I had with England was fantastic and I slotted in really nicely with all the lads.

“The environment surrounding English cricket at the moment is really easy to settle in to and I was able to just do my thing.

“I didn’t try and do anything different, nothing special, I just focused on doing what I have been doing on a regular basis.

“The ball is coming nicely at the minute so hopefully that continues.”

Despite Ball missing out on selection, there is still a healthy Nottinghamshire presence in the side with Alex Hales and Stuart Broad retaining their places.

And Ball said that he was pleased to see Hales prove himself in the Test arena with a career-best 85 from the top of the order.

“It was an innings not many people are probably used to see from him,” he said.

“It was extremely patient knock with wickets falling around him and despite those disruptions he continued to play in the same manner.

“He worked out the pitch quickly and what he could get out from it and it is a great sign for him and for English cricket.

“He stayed in his bubble and kept playing his own way, showing a real maturity to his innings and a sign of where his game is at currently.

“That whole first Test performance shows where English cricket is and we really hammered home the win, something hopefully we can do again this week.”

 

England are returning to the scene of their Ashes triumph in 2016 for Royal London One-Day Internationals against Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

There are now just a limited number of single seats available for the visit of Sri Lanka on Tuesday 21 June. Don't miss the opportunity to watch some of the best players in the world go toe-to-toe in the unique surroundings of Trent Bridge and secure your seats now.