Taylor's long exile set to end

He's had the endless net sessions. He's carried the drinks. He's done the lunch and tea-time sprints in the sweltering heat of the day. Now, surely, James Taylor will earn the Test recall that has been tantalisingly out of his reach for more than three years.

Given the changes that have occurred in the England team since his first two appearances, against South Africa in what became the tumultuous summer of 2012, where Taylor would become an unwitting subplot to the meltdown which ensued after Kevin Pietersen's texts to the opposition, it seems odd that a batsman with a first-class average of 47.20 has not another chance.

There have been concerns over his technique - some stemming from the impact of his height and others over his propensity to play across the line - and it is true that some of his leaner patches, such as averaging 38.15 in the County Championship in 2014 and a mid-season trough in 2015 when he went six first-class innings without reaching double figures, have come at bad times.

But now is his time. England's struggling middle order needs refreshing with Jos Buttler's chronic lack of form - and the presence of another wicketkeeping option in Jonny Bairstow - opening the door for his return.

Over the last three months Taylor has ticked a lot of boxes. He bounced back from that poor mid-summer in the Championship to score 555 runs in his last five matches, combatted Australia's strong pace attack during the one-day series - which included his maiden international hundred at Old Trafford - and took his opportunity in the warm-ups on this tour to compile a composed 61.

Taylor's first brief foray into Test cricket was, in many ways, a bizarre affair. He made a composed 34 in a stand of 147 alongside Pietersen, who produced one of his great Test innings at Headingley, only for his partner to quickly make clear he did not rate the new kid. Then, in the final Test at Lord's, with Pietersen banished, he edged Morne Morkel to slip and was then run out going for a fourth in the second innings. And that was that.

Pietersen returned for the 2012-13 tour of India, Bairstow and Joe Root were the young thrusters in the middle order and Samit Patel's utility meant there was no place for Taylor. He briefly featured in the Test squad during the 2013 Ashes - ironically when there was an injury doubt over Pietersen at Old Trafford - but didn't make the squad for the return series in Australia.

During that winter, as England's batsmen floundered against the pace of Mitchell Johnson, Taylor churned out more runs for the Lions in Sri Lanka, including an unbeaten 242, taking his tally for the second XI to 1385 at 60.22 since 2010 and showing the attributes against spin that, it is hoped, will serve him well in Sharjah.

"We put him in the squad because we thought he was a good player of spin, he was doing all the right things, he was scoring runs at county level, he had a good one-day series against Australia, he was in form - and certainly that hasn't changed since we've been here," Trevor Bayliss, the England coach, said.

"He was in good form in that warm-up match before the Test series started. The reserves have all been away most days during the two Test matches having net sessions and the reports from the assistant coaches are that he's in good form, he's playing well, he's preparing well, he's left no stone unturned. If he comes in I'm confident he can do well."

If he is so highly regarded against spin, it does beg the question why space wasn't found for Taylor from the start, although once Bairstow made runs in the first warm-up match the selectors were almost duty bound to retain him and the desire to play six bowlers meant there was no other slot.

Bairstow showed resilience in Dubai, but was twice defeated by Yasir Shah - firstly a slider then a googly - and though Bayliss picked out Ben Stokes as someone who he has seen make significant strides against spin, the middle order would benefit from someone with a deft touch and lightness of feet to keep the strike rotating and ensure Yasir, especially, does not settle against a single batsman. As an illustration, between them in Dubai, Bairstow and Stokes faced 211 balls of spin and scored 18 singles; Root faced 224 balls of spin and scored 43 singles.

Although in a different format, Taylor's hundred against Australia at Old Trafford was instructive. He hit just five boundaries, but reached his century from 112 balls, during which he milked Ashton Agar and Glenn Maxwell - not a pair of spinners near the level of Yasir and Zulfiqar Babar but they had a surface to help them - for 26 singles off the 54 balls he faced from them.

As ever, though, Taylor should not be viewed as a quick fix. Being thrust in at the end of a series, regardless of how well you are hitting them in the nets, is a tough position. But regardless of how he performs, a recall is unlikely to be a one-off with Bayliss hinting that changes would not purely be horses for courses as England try to level the series.

"It's obviously a must-win Test match and I suppose South Africa is in the future, so the majority of the decisions will be made, I think, on this next Test match. But I think if any Test cricketer is worth his salt they want to be good players in all conditions," he said. "Certainly the people we have got in and around this squad are some good players, and good enough players to be a success in any conditions. Going forward if that means someone plays or someone misses out in the next match it could quite well be sign into the next Test match as well."

Nothing will be certain until the teams are confirmed, but if Taylor's second chance does not come now he may wonder what else he has to do.