Keaton Jennings believes Ashes summer not last chance saloon of international career

The 27-year-old batsman talks about his chances of facing Australia this summer, James Anderson's form and Lancashire's hopes for the remainder of the season

Keaton Jennings would have hoped for a more definitive race for the two openers spots ahead of The Ashes.

Jason Roy’s early World Cup form has seen his name chucked on to the post-Sir Alastair Cook conveyor belt which already includes Rory Burns and Jennings himself.

Dominic Sibley of Warwickshire and Sussex's Phil Salt have also been credited with an outside chance of an Ashes starting berth, but the Lancashire opener recognizes that whoever Joe Root and national selector Ed Smith punt for will have earned their place on merit.

"My ambition is always the same, I want to play as many games of cricket for England as I can. Batters' currency is runs and you have got to make sure you have a weight of runs that allows you to put your name in the hat and to be ready for selection.

"One thing Root and Ed Smith have been very clear with is the reasoning behind why they have done something. Just look at Jos Buttler's selection, it is the same thing.

"Root wants to pick a side he feels is best equipped to win those games and I would love to be a part of that. If I am not, then obviously I won't have scored enough runs, and if someone else isn’t then they haven't scored enough runs.

"It is weight of runs at the end of the day that will get you into teams and into higher honours."

^{Jennings scored a century in Sri Lanka}

Jennings is the most experienced on the Test stage of the names in the fire, having made his longer-format bow in India in December 2017.

However, he struggled against Virat Kohli’s men last summer, scoring just 163 runs in five matches, although the collateral damage was limited as England ran out 4-1 series winners. The overall result has seen Jennings preferring to focus on the positives that emerged from the series.

"Last summer was absolutely fantastic to be honest.

"It was hard from the point of view of runscoring but at the same stage we beat the no.1 side in the world at home 4-1 so it was fantastic. We then went away to Sri Lanka and won 3-0 so from my point of view it was amazing to be a part of it all.

"Yes, it was hard from a personal performance point of view but it is international cricket, it is hard work. You are facing guys who know what they are doing with the ball.

"They are bowling 90mph and they are highly skilled so it is not easy, it is not just rock up and do your thing and just perform. Although it is hard work I absolutely loved it, it was good fun."

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With Jennings' detractors increasing by the day a century in Galle in the winter came at a critical point and has made the 27-year-old believe that his best is yet to come in an England shirt despite a torrid summer last year.

"If I get written off as a 27-year-old then I think it is probably wrong.

"Just for the pure fact that I don’t see any point in running off guys young. Essentially you need to see changes in a player in order to try and succeed.

"I have gone away and I have worked on my game. It is tough seeing your technique being picked apart for hours and hours on end. Then suddenly you haven't changed anything, and you get runs and you are back to normal.

"It is frustrating to know what is right and in which direction you want to go but I have got an amazing group of people round me that have been guiding me quite nicely so hopefully I can continue to grow.

"I don't think this is my last chance saloon, I have no guarantee of success or guarantee of being dropped either so look at the end of the day it is about scoring runs and doing that consistently in whatever shirt you get picked in."

^{Jennings believes James Anderson has never been better}

Consistency remains the quality that James Anderson, Jennings' county and England teammate, has demonstrated for a number of years now, and his 28 wickets so far in the County Championship are a testament to that.

His current form has led Jennings to maintain that his impeccable form will represent a cause for concern for Australia, while his partnership with former England paceman Graham Onions goes from strength to strength.

"Jimmy has been absolutely fantastic, the energy, the skill and the quality that he has shown has been brilliant.

"I would love them [Australia] to be watching some of the videos of the games he has played because he has been phenomenal for us.

"Jimmy knows he will be focusing on August 1 and making sure that he is in prime condition for that and if he continues to bowl the way he is there is no reason why he couldn’t have a fantastic Ashes series and a fantastic Test summer and beyond.

"He is as fit as a fiddle and he is ready to go. So hopefully England as a bowling attack as well can complement each other and really put the Aussies under pressure this summer.

^{Lancashire will take confidence from their appearance at Finals Day 2018}

"At times for Lancashire it is a pretty funny for me watching two veterans in cricket go about a skill that they know so well, standing at first slip and really enjoying it. They have been unplayable and just to be in and around two guys at the top of their game is fantastic."

The duo have driven undefeated Lancashire to the top of the Division Two table, with the leaders winning four and drawing the other three fixtures.

However, Jennings insists that their ambitions do not stop at hopes of dining at the top table once again.

"We got into the semi-finals of the One-Day Cup which I suppose is a start. We are top of the league right now so promotion is definitely key, but there is still a whole other T20 competition to go that we did fantastically well in last year getting to Finals Day.

"The guys are another season deeper into their careers and we have got Maxy [Glenn Maxwell] as well this year which will be good fun and hopefully we can win games. We have got an attack that is fantastic and a really exciting batting group so hopefully we can get to Finals Day and then it is anyone's game from there."

Our coverage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is brought to you in association with Cricket 19, the official video game of the Ashes. Order your copy now at Amazon.co.uk

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