After a run of poor scores that have seen him total 105 runs in 7 innings in the ongoing Ashes, Ravi Bopara has been drop for the deciding fifth Test at the Oval, but the batsman can take heart from the truth that the men who matter still see him as 'the future of English cricket'.On Monday Bopara was named in three part limited-overs squads - which were also famous for the inclusion of injury-troubled all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and the uncapped Joe Denly, as well as the slip of key batsman Kevin Pietersen as he continues his revival from ankle surgery.
National selector Geoff Miller completed it clear how highly Bopara's talent was prized.
"Ravi Bopara is an exciting player," he told Sky Sports News.
"He has been released from this Test match but he is a quality player, and we see him as the future of English cricket."
England is hoping Flintoff's decision to focus solely on limited-overs cricket will pay dividends.
"We are hoping he is going to be able to play as many of those games as possible, because that is what he has set himself to do," Miller said of Flintoff.
Pietersen's first sensible target now is the start of England's Test and ODI winter in the country of his birth.
Wicketkeeper Matt Prior is back in the fold, after James Foster was preferred for the mid-summer World Twenty20 - and Owais Shah is retained.
Miller explained: "Matt Prior has showed himself as a very, very good all-round player. His wicketkeeping has improved, and he is a quality batsman."
Denly, meanwhile, is already hoping ODI cricket can prove a stepping stone for him.
"Test cricket is the ultimate for any cricketer," he said.
"I hope I can now push for a place in the Test squad."
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