England have five batting options for three spots - this is who is closest to nailing down a place, the man most in trouble and the surprise return that can't be ruled out

There is fierce competition for a place in England’s top six ahead of the Test series in South Africa in December.

This summer has seen a major overhaul of the batting line-up, with Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Ben Stokes no longer around, Emilio Gay and Jordan Cox in, Jacob Bethell forced to miss the Pakistan series through injury and a return for Dan Lawrence. 

Cox has made the best entrance, with two stylish half-centuries, and while Gay can match that tally, he has looked a touch scratchy and has shown weaknesses to his game.

So with the high pace of the Proteas to come this winter, it's still all to play for among England's leading batsmen. Here, Daily Mail Sport assesses the runners and riders, and their chances of nailing down a spot in the team.

Emilio Gay

An average of 23 from five Tests does not immediately suggest Gay is a long-term replacement for Zak Crawley. But batting this summer has been so tough that Joe Root has averaged 29, his worst record in a home season, while the average length of the Tests so far is 1,470 balls, the lowest in an English summer since 1954.

Gay has not enjoyed much luck either. He has twice been strangled down the leg side and at Lord’s two weeks ago received an unplayable shooter after batting with skill and guts in difficult conditions for 31.

England have not forgotten the start he made to his Test career, top-scoring with 57 against New Zealand at Lord’s and 53 at the Oval. On both occasions he batted for more than two-and-a-half hours, hinting at the kind of permanence that always seemed beyond Crawley.

But, despite predictions he would be an lbw candidate, he has instead been opened up a couple of times outside off stump – most notably by New Zealand’s Will O’Rourke at the Oval and Pakistan’s Mohammad Ali at Headingley. Again, though, this is not unusual for young English openers making their way in Test cricket after feasting on a diet of full-length deliveries in the county game.

‘Emilio’s been brilliant in the conditions we’ve had,’ said Root. ‘It would be unfair to have any kind of discussions on anything outside this game. He’s played some vital knocks and context is really important when you have low-scoring games.’

Jordan Cox

It summed up England’s chaos at the time that Cox’s debut, against New Zealand at the Oval, came at No7. He did his best in the circumstances, making 27 and – obliged to hit out with only the last man for company – 25. But his promotion to No3 for the Pakistan series following Bethell’s knee injury has allowed him to show off his full range, without worrying about wickets tumbling at the other end.

At Headingley, he outbatted Root while making 73 in seam-friendly conditions, and at Lord’s his patient 55 helped rescue England from a spot of bother on the first day at 120 for five. He has demonstrated calm, class and street-wisdom – the last of which was so often lacking during the Bazball era.

One option, once Bethell returns, is to move Cox up to open, where he spent 30 innings for Kent between 2019 and 2021, averaging 34. His career figures are better down the order, but No4 and No5 are filled by Root and Harry Brook, and Cox would be in danger of being wasted at No6.

Root refused to engage with the question of whether Cox might open, calling it ‘hypothetical’, but it is a card England may yet play – knowing full well that the player himself would not lack the confidence to do the job. His ability to keep wicket is another string to his bow.

Dan Lawrence

A fish out of water when he opened against Sri Lanka two years ago, Lawrence has looked far more comfortable at No6 on his recall, adding an intelligent 54 in the murk of Lord’s to a resourceful 51 at Headingley. In between, he was wastefully run out for 17, but so far he is comfortably in credit.

Like Bethell’s left-arm spin and Cox’s wicketkeeping, Lawrence offers a secondary skill, operating as the closest England had to a spinner at Headingley and Lord’s, but bowling a grand total of three overs. Gay, by comparison, is the only one without another string to his bow.

Lawrence’s problem may come when England want a frontline slow bowler. But for his season-ending groin injury, Sam Curran might have played in Wednesday’s third Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston for that very reason, because he offered an extra seam-bowling option while creating space for the off-breaks of Shoaib Bashir.

But that scenario will not arise until the two-Test series in Bangladesh in February, by which time Lawrence hopes to have made an unanswerable case for himself in South Africa.

Jacob Bethell

Despite a quiet series against New Zealand, it will be a surprise if Bethell doesn’t return at No3 for the first Test against South Africa at the Wanderers on December 17.

In the early part of his career, he saw himself as an opener, but a lack of opportunities up the order at Warwickshire, and the make-up of the England team, funnelled him towards No3. That is now his preferred position, cemented with a stunning 154 at Sydney in January.

He has also become part of England’s leadership group, at the tender age of 22. He captained the T20 side in Ireland last year, and is close to Root and Brook, the Test and white-ball captains. Whoever misses out, it won’t be Bethell.

…and Ollie Pope?

Easily forgotten but not yet gone, Pope has been part of England’s squad all series, and is no more than a broken finger away from reclaiming the place he lost after the third Ashes Test in Adelaide.

He has had a decent summer with Surrey without banging the door down: 672 championship runs at nearly 45, with centuries against Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire.

But such is the inexperience in England’s top order that the selectors can’t quite bring themselves to move on from him.