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A pleasing right-handed batsman, James Vince is a delight to watch when in full flow. Full of expansive strokes on either side of the wicket, it was his strength which led to his downfall during the home summer of 2016. Given seven Tests against Sri Lanka and Pakistan to prove himself, Vince finished the summer with just 212 runs at an abysmal average of 19.27 - without a single half-century to his credit. He did get a few starts, but his propensity to get caught on the drive made him an easy target for the bowlers. He was dropped from the Test team at the end of the home summer. His 50-over career was a tad better and he did notch up a fifty - against Sri Lanka, but was left out of the team after just three more innings. At Hampshire though, he's the bedrock of their middle-order. With more than 100 caps in all the three formats of the game, Vince has progressed from a solid batsman to becoming Hampshire's captain. Vince got a surprise call-up for the Ashes (2017-18) series, despite a middling form in the County Championship, where he averaged less than 30. On the opening day of the series in Brisbane, after the early loss of Alastair Cook, Vince notched up his maiden Test fifty. He shared a 125-run stand with skipper with Joe Root, before getting run-out for 83 - turned out to be the top-score for England in that game. The right-hander batting at No. 3, however, failed to kick on from there. He scored just 156 runs in the next eight innings - six out of those dismissals were caught behind (keeper/cordon). Until the final week of April 2019, Vince would have not even dreamt of making it into the World Cup squad. However, Alex Hales’s suspension - for recreational drug use - changed the equation. With a back-up opener needed for the mega event, the England selectors roped in the Hampshire batsman who has had terrific numbers in the 2019 edition of the Royal London One-Day Cup (509 runs in 7 matches at a strike-rate close to 111). Vince took part in three matches against Pakistan just before the World Cup before making to the 15-member squad for the multi-nation tournament. Vince flattered to deceive once again in the World Cup, aggregating a mere 40 runs from three appearances.
