Joe Clarke set for England test reserve spot

Clarke, who came through the ranks with Oswestry and Shropshire before going on to star for Worcestershire and earn a move to Nottinghamshire, was an England Lion regular up to 2019.

However, the 25-year-old was informed that he would not be considered for international selection until further notice, following the revelations in the rape trial of his former Worcestershire team-mate Alex Hepburn. Hepburn was found guilty of rape and sentenced to five years in prison in 2019 – but has since been released.

Clarke was not suspected of an offence, but it emerged in court he had been involved in a WhatsApp group that included disrespectful message about women, which the judge said amounted to a ‘pathetic sexist game’.

Clarke and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, now with Yorkshire, were found guilty by the ECB of bringing the game into disrepute, fined and suspended.

But now Clarke has been reintroduced into the England fold on the reserve list of the much changed squad for the West Indies tour. He will not travel to the Caribbean unless a player goes down with injury or Covid before the squad departs in late February.

The batsman has long been considered England’s best uncapped player – having excelled in the T20 format of the game.

He has recently returned from spells in Australia and Pakistan and despite interest from franchises, Clarke decided against placing his name into the Indian Premier League auction, in a bid to play County Championship cricket and push for England selection.