Ambrose in line for England

Tim Ambrose is in the mix to become England's wicketkeeper

Tim Ambrose flies out to New Zealand at the end of this month as the new hopeful aiming to pass the test to become England’s established wicketkeeper-batsman.

Since the retirement of Alec Stewart at the end of the 2003 summer, England have swayed from one candidate to the next in a bid to find a player capable of performing with the gloves and the bat to an equally high standard.

At Test level the selectors have tried and discarded Chris Read, Geraint Jones and more recently gave Matt Prior a run before deciding to overlook him for the forthcoming tour to New Zealand, despite a batting average of 40, after a series of wicket-keeping errors.

But the selectors have tried six different people with the gloves - Jones, Read, Prior, Phil Mustard, Vikram Solanki and Paul Nixon - in limited overs internationals since 2003.

The wicketkeeper debate has now reached 25-year-old Warwickshire gloveman Ambrose, a former team-mate of Prior’s at Sussex, to accompany Durham’s Mustard for the forthcoming tour to New Zealand.

“Matt and I have always had a healthy competition,” admitted Ambrose, who left Sussex for Warwickshire in 2006 because he had fallen behind Prior in the Sussex pecking order.

“I wouldn’t call it a rivalry as such because he’s a good friend of mine, so I feel for him and I’m sure he’ll be very disappointed at the moment.”

Phil Mustard provides strong competition © Getty Images

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Mustard, who featured in all five matches during England’s stunning one-day series win in Sri Lanka in October, is likely to be given the first opportunity to impress during the two Twenty20 internationals and five one-day matches which begin the tour.

Ambrose, however, has a chance to force his way into the selectors’ thinking early if he can break into the one-day team before setting his sights on becoming wicketkeeper for the Test section of the tour.

His credentials at first-class level are already impressive having averaged 45 last season for Warwickshire, including an unbeaten 251 against Worcestershire last May - the highest championship score by a wicketkeeper since Stewart hit 271 for Surrey 10 years earlier.

“I’m a wicketkeeper-batsman as everyone knows and it’s my job now to step up and try and fill that spot as well as I can and that’s what I’ll be aiming to do.

“There’s competition for places and I think that’s healthy. It’s always good to have someone behind pushing you on and making sure you’re doing everything right and doing the best you can - if I get the chance then hopefully I can help England win matches.”

Like Prior and Jones before him, who were both born overseas before moving to England, Ambrose was born and brought up in New South Wales, Australia, before deciding to move to England aged just 17.

He was given a trial by Hampshire and Sussex on his arrival and has since embarked on a successful county career and with the next Ashes series less than 18 months away, he is now in poll position to face his mother country.

He insists, however, there will no crisis of conscience if he has established himself as England’s wicketkeeper by then, adding: “I’ve lived here all my adult life and this is my home now.

“All my friends are here and I haven’t even visited Australia for quite a few years so I’ll be very pleased and proud to have this opportunity to represent my country.”