Bopara disappointed by England snub

England batsman Ravi Bopara has admitted he was disappointed over his omission from the Test squad for England's ongoing series against Sri Lanka. Bopara was widely tipped to be picked ahead of Eoin Morgan following his decision to put county cricket ahead of the Indian Premier League. The selectors, however, chose to go with Morgan, after he scored 193 for England Lions in a warm-up game against the visitors, a match in which Bopara failed.

"I was watching the Test and thinking 'I'd love to be a part of that'", Bopara told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I was under the impression that whoever was scoring the runs would get selected but that probably wasn't the case."

Bopara has been in good form for Essex so far with 417 runs and two centuries in division two of the County Championship. Morgan was not in the frame for selection until his breakthrough innings for the Lions, which came after his participation in all but the closing stages of the IPL season. Bopara was disappointed that his consistent showing in the domestic season wasn't rewarded.

"I was told I'd have to do something exceptional to take his [Morgan's] spot, "Bopara said. "I'm not sure what that is; maybe score a few more hundreds."

Bopara, who was not picked in the initial IPL auction, turned down an offer from Rajasthan Royals, in his bid to focus on county cricket and regain his place in the national side. "I invested the money I would have made in my own game here," he said. "It's been good for me to stay in terms of playing on early-season wickets. It's been a difficult time to bat with the ball swinging around.

"I thought it was very important for me to stay and fight for a Test spot. I gave myself the best chance but I'm not getting in. I've still invested in my own game, though."

Morgan had little to do in England's dramatic innings win in the first Test in Cardiff, and has retained his place for the second match that begins at Lord's on Friday.