Keaton Jennings: Lancashire batter finishes top of run chart

The Lancashire opener’s good form has led to calls for him to return to the England side in Pakistan this winter

The dust has settled on another English cricketing summer, and it has been one of ‘almosts’ for Lancashire.

Following defeat in the Royal London Cup Final and an agonizing one run loss to Hampshire in the Vitality Blast T20 final, the Red Rose finished the Specsavers County Championship Division One campaign in second place.

They finished 25 points behind title winners Surrey, but have plenty to be proud of during what has been a tough season.

Keaton Jennings of Lancashire bats during the LV= Insurance County Championship match between Lancashire and Kent at Emirates Old Trafford on July 25,

One man in particular who has got the county game talking this year is Keaton Jennings. The opener has found runs easy to come by this season, and has scored them in abundance.

Through the season, he scored 1,233 runs and finished with an incredibly healthy average of 72.52.

This left Jennings out in front as leading run scorer in the division, scoring more runs than the likes of Ben Compton, Dom Sibley, and former England captain Sir Alistair Cook.

Amongst these 1200+ runs were five centuries, two scores of 50 or more, and a top score of 199.

Could Keaton Jennings get an England call up?

The strong season for Jennings helped his side to seven victories from 14 County Championship matches.

His form has been enough for people in the game to start asking questions about his return to the England Test match set up.

The evidence to justify Jennings’ return to the England side is strong and plentiful, with his ability to bat against spin a no doubt handy component as England travel to the historically turn friendly pitches of Pakistan.

His call up to the side would be at the expense of Kent’s Zak Crawley, who has endured a tough summer.

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How has Keaton Jennings previously done in an England shirt?

If Jennings was to be picked for the Pakistan tour, it would not be his first outing for England.

He has played 17 matches for his country, scoring over 700 runs at an average of just over 25.

He has two Test match centuries to his name, including one on his debut in India back in 2016.

These stats show that Jennings has the ability to score big runs in tricky conditions, and he would also head to Pakistan as a much better batter than the one he was at the start of his international career.

There are still several weeks until the squad for the three match tour of Pakistan is announced, but you would be hard pressed to find a great deal of argument against Jennings being on the plane.

His performances have been of a man full of confidence with a bat in his hand, and he will surely be itching for a chance to carry on his strong 2022 form on the international scene