Westley shock My dad was in tears after England called me up for Oval Test

Essex batsman to make England Test debut Stoneman misses out but Malan in the squad

A good-luck message from Alastair Cook’s four-year-old daughter and an emotional conversation with his father marked a “humbling” day for Tom Westley after he was told he would make his Test debut against South Africa next week.

Westley will bat at three, replacing the injured Gary Ballance, after edging out Surrey’s Mark Stoneman for a first call-up. Middlesex’s Dawid Malan was also named in the 13-man squad but will play only if England decide to pack their batting in the third Investec Test, in which case he would replace Liam Dawson and probably bat at seven.

Westley has his chance due to a broken left index finger Ballance sustained during the second Test when he was bounced by Morne Morkel. Ballance is hopeful of being fit for the fourth Test at Old Trafford but it would be impossible for England to go back to him if Westley impresses at the Oval.

“I had James Whitaker’s [chief selector] number on my phone from previous Lions selections, so when I saw it come up I was hoping for good news – but nothing can prepare you until it happens,” said Westley. “There was a long pause – I think he wondered if I was still there. But I was trying to take it in.

“This is why you get into cricket, because you want to play for England. It’s all just snowballed from there really, lots of calls and congratulations. In that respect, it’s been a very humbling day.”

Westley started at Mildenhall Cricket Club in Suffolk, the same club as Tymal Mills, and was coached as a youngster by Graham Gooch at his Essex academy, which also produced Cook and Ravi Bopara.

“I owe a lot to so many people, but my dad [Ade] has been the most influential person in my career,” he added. “He was the first person I spoke to after the news. He’s a builder, and not known for being very emotional. But he told me he was very proud, and said he might have to nip around the back of the scaffolding to shed a tear – in a monotone way, obviously.

“Cooky called me this morning, just to say congratulations. He was in the car with his daughter, Elsie, actually, so she said congratulations to me as well. I’ve learned so much from Cooky over the years.”

The choice for No 3 was between Westley and Stoneman, and it was a close call. Westley nosed ahead in the selection meeting due to the fact he is a genuine No3, while Stoneman opens and England wanted as little disruption as possible to their fragile top order. Picking Stoneman would have meant playing him out of position or moving Keaton Jennings to three, and England want to give him a run in the side as they search for a regular partner for Cook.

The fact Westley is a righthander helped, as Stoneman would have continued the run of three lefties at the top that Morkel has enjoyed bowling to, although that was not the deciding factor.

Stoneman, despite this second snub of the season, remains in contention for a Test place this summer, but a spot on the Ashes tour as a backup opener is perhaps more realistic.

Westley has opened for Essex but his breakthrough year came in 2015 when he moved to No3. He showed a willingness to expand his game earlier that year, staying on in Sri Lanka to play club cricket against the turning ball after touring with the England Lions.

Five hundreds last season led to Cook wanting him in the Test side when he was captain but the selec- tors were sceptical of the value of second division runs. Two hun- dreds this season as Essex charged to the top of the Championship put him back in contention. A hundred batting at three against South Africa for the Lions two weeks ago contin- ued a record of scoring runs against touring teams.

“I appreciate everything in Test cricket is going to be another step up in intensity, but I can take confi- dence from having faced the major- ity of their bowlers a few weeks ago and scored some runs,” Westley added. “But, for me, the key is go- ing to be replicating what I’ve been doing with Essex.”

England worry about damaging Jonny Bairstow’s confidence by dropping him from five to seven, so if Malan plays he will come in after Ben Stokes at six, which would push Moeen Ali down to eight. Trevor Bayliss, the coach, said last week that he believed batting Moeen at eight was “papering over the cracks” and an admission the top order were not up to the job, so there is a very good chance Dawson will keep his place.

England could pick three debutants next week, with Toby Rolandjones retained in the squad as an alternative to Mark Wood.