Bopara seeking to stake claim

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The 23-year-old Essex batsman was called up for his first Test since last December this week as a replacement for Michael Vaughan, who is taking a break from the game following his tearful resignation as England captain on Sunday.

It is a match where the result may be irrelevant to the outcome of the series but for Bopara is still determined to make his mark and said: "For me it is a fantastic opportunity."

He added: "We know the series is over but it is an opportunity to prove differently.

"We still have pride to play for and if I play it will give me the chance to put something on the board, and go into the winter with something positive under my belt."

The selectors are not due to announce their squad for this winter's tour to India, which comprises seven one-day internationals and two Tests, until after the end of September.

Before then Bopara will also have the one-day series against Sri Lanka to catch the selectors' eyes, but it is in Test cricket where he wants to establish himself after a disappointing start in Sri Lanka before Christmas.

"I don't have many regrets about Sri Lanka, to be fair, it happened all so quickly," he said. "I didn't actually go out and change the way I played - I didn't think I had to change the way I played because it was Test cricket.

"At that time the Sri Lankans were too good for me, it just didn't go the way I imagined it to go and it was because of good pieces of bowling sometimes and other times my own error.

"There were just a couple of things I had to work on because if it comes up in the future I don't want to be found out in that situation. I went away and worked on them."