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Bopara and Onions eye England resurgence

Ravi Bopara and Graham Onions are both hoping the county cricket season can provide them with the perfect springboard to re-assert themselves in the England Test side.

Bopara, back with Essex ahead of the new season, played a part in England's ultimately unsuccessful World Cup campaign after an initial injury to Eoin Morgan opened up a spot for him in the squad.

Bopara generally acquitted himself well with the bat when called upon during the tournament, but believes there is much more he can offer to the national side in future.

"I made sure I was playing a lot of cricket, and kept myself in good form and luckily I got the call-up. I was delighted with the call-up and had a good winter," Bopara said. "It was brilliant to be involved in, some of those tight wins were almost some of the best wins because they build your confidence and courage as a player.

"It was disappointing to not be involved in the first place, and it was also a bad way to get in - but these things happen and you have to be ready to take that spot. Hopefully I've done enough to get in the next squad, but that's not just what I want to do - I want to be integral to England and win games for England."

Paul Collingwood's retirement from the Test arena means there is a space available for another player lower down the batting order, and Bopara believes he has the all-round skills to fill it. The 25-year-old hopes starting the season positively with both bat and ball for Essex will persuade Andy Flower of his value.

"I'm a different player to what I was a year ago or two years ago. Hopefully this is the time, there's a place available in the Test side and someone has to fill it. Hopefully I can do that," he said.

"Hopefully I can play a part with the ball as well. Even if I have to go in at No. 6, at the end of the day the principle is still the same - you've still got to watch the ball and score runs.

"What I do for Essex I want to be able to do for England."

Onions, meanwhile, is preparing for the new season with Durham after undergoing a gruelling rehabilition following surgery on his back.

The medium-fast bowler admits that he went through some dark times where he worried he would never return to full fitness.

"I'm fit and ready to go," Onions said. "It was my first major surgery, your back's very important and all the force and weight that goes through it is massive, so after the surgery I had no doubt I was going to be fine, but then you realise six months is a long time and there's a lot of hard work to be done.

"But now I feel confident, I feel good, I feel strong, so as long as I monitor my plan of action if you like - which games I do play, and which I don't - then halfway through the season I could play every game after that."

Having been a regular member of the England side prior to his injury, Onions is under no illusions as to the work he will have to do to get back into the national set-up, especially after missing a successful Ashes series in Australia.

"I want to play for England again, that is in the back of my mind," he noted. "I did some good things for England, and overall I played pretty well. Sometimes I didn't get the results I deserved, but that's international cricket. But one thing I do believe is that when I'm fit and strong I will get back in that side and can make a big difference.

"But I'm not going to kid myself, I've got to do a lot of things before I'm in the position to even consider playing for England again. I'm just happy to be playing again."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.