REMEMBER MY NAME.. JAMES

Were you watching, Hayden? Ashes debutant Vince sends message to Aussie doubters: You may not have known me before.. but you will NOW

IF Australians did not know who James Vince was before, they do now.

The selection gamble for the Ashes squad responded perfectly to the faith put in him by coach Trevor Bayliss and skipper Joe Root.

His 83 on the opening day of this Ashes series answered all sorts of questions.

Vince knows he is lucky to even be here. His first seven Test matches were simply not good enough – averaging 19, with a collection of loose dismissals.

But this time it was different. In the heat of the battle Down Under he tightened up his game and showed the sort of mental toughness that allows players with his strokeplay to thrive.

He has taken up the role of England’s No.3 thanks to what could be an inspired piece of selection from Bayliss and Root.

His innings was only ended when he was run out by a brilliant direct hit from Nathan Lyon and afterwards he put Matthew Hayden in his place too.

Former Aussie opener Hayden had questioned the identities of England’s newer faces, claiming: “I honestly don’t know who half these guys are.” But after his maiden Test half-century, Vince said: “It was nice to get some runs early.

“Reading Hayden’s comments like that give you an extra incentive to go out there and make a statement.

“It’s nice to spend some time in the middle and get some confidence. If he didn’t know who we were at the start of the day, he probably does now.”

He will also know the name of opener Mark Stoneman, who made 53 in a partnership of 125 with Vince as he continued his unflustered and effective tour.

Vince gave the Barmy Army something to cheer about – and revealed he knew how it felt to be the other side of the boundary rope. “I was here with the Lions and we got the afternoon off,” he said. “Jos Buttler and I cheered the boys on in the crowd.

“The Barmy Army were amazing today and you take a bit of it in while you’re batting, but you want to maintain focus at the same time.

“If I could have my first go at Test cricket again, I would, but that’s in the past now. I have said before that I was surprised to get the call, but it is nice to make a contribution and hopefully I can kick on throughout the series.”

Root passed 1,000 runs against Australia when he reached nine, but he was trapped lbw for 15 as both he and Alastair Cook, who made two, fluffed their opening-day lines.