Adam Lyth

One of several openers tried and discarded by England after Andrew Strauss' retirement, Yorkshire's Adam Lyth first became a serious contender for the spot during a purple 2014 county season, when he added 375 for the first wicket with Alex Lees against Northamptonshire.

He began life as an opening batter in the modern mould - happy to attack the new ball with an array of shots - but it was Lyth's willingness to graft through more difficult periods that took him to a new level: he scored a chart-topping 1489 Championship runs, including six centuries, at 67.68 that season.

He received his chance in Test cricket the following year, but that one season was all he got. He scored a hundred in his second Test, against New Zealand at Headingley, his home ground, but five Tests against Australia brought only 115 runs at 12.77, and England moved on in their search for an opening partner for Alastair Cook. ,

Lyth continued to churn out runs in first-class cricket and became increasingly influential in T20s, taking Yorkshire to Finals Day in 2016 and scoring a record 161 off 73 balls against Northants in 2017. A formidable white-ball summer in 2022 realised 824 runs at a strike-rate in excess of 170 across both the Blast and the Hundred, leading to a gig with Perth Scorchers in the BBL.