ENGLAND’S TOWIE PAIR

TOM WESTLEY will take his partnership alongside Alastair Cook at Essex to the next level with England.

Westley has been handed his debut in the third Test against South Africa on Thursday in place of injured Gary Ballance.

The right-hander and former England skipper Cook have been behind Essex’s march to the top of the County Championship and the 28-year-old will get the chance to stoke the fires at the Oval. Westley (above) said: “Cooky called me this morning, just to say congratulations, the usual stuff between team-mates. “I’ve learnt so much from him over the years – he’s an unbelievable role model. We’ve had quite a few good partnerships with Essex, so, hopefully, we can do the same for England.” Middlesex batsman Dawid Malan is also called into the 13-man squad to battle with Liam Dawson for a spot, depending on the conditions. Mark Wood is fit and will compete with Toby Roland-Jones for the final seam place.