SOMERSET batsman James Hildreth has said he has not given up hope of achieving England recognition as he prepares to begin the 2017 season, writes Paul Martin.

Speaking to the County Gazette on the first day of pre-season training, the 32-year-old admitted that he has felt aggrieved in recent years but retains his motivation to make the step up.

“Recently it’s frustrated me because I feel like I’ve done pretty well and they’ve gone with guys who have done less well with lower averages,” he said.

“I presume that’s an age thing - you don’t know what the selectors are thinking so it’s difficult, but it’s always going to be something that I’m striving for.

“Perhaps I’m too old now, though like everyone says if you score runs for Somerset then you never know - but I’ve been doing that for a few years and they’ve looked elsewhere.”

Most recently, Hildreth was overlooked for the winter tour to India despite topping 1,000 runs for the second consecutive season - a milestone he has reached six times in total.

In his absence, a young and inexperienced England side were hammered 4-0 as they struggled to get to grips with the unfamiliar subcontinent conditions.

“It’s the overall philosophy of the ECB to pick younger guys as they want cricketers who can play for years” he said.

“Sometimes, though, they would be better to look at the here and now and think about who is going to win the next series rather than who is going to win the Ashes in four or five years time, for example.

“Until I retire I won’t give up hope - Australia have picked the likes of Michael Klinger, Adam Voges and Chris Rogers recently, so as long as those guys are getting picked I’ll still believe there’s a slight chance.”

Hildreth also insisted that he aims to play in all formats in the 2017 campaign.

“The T20 didn’t go to plan last year, I was dropped from that and only played four games so I want to correct that,” he said.

“That will be up to management and Jim Allenby as captain but my goal is to play everything – I’ve told the club that so we’ll see what happens.

The experienced batsman has been awarded a testimonial for this summer as he prepares for his 15th season at the County Ground, and Hildreth was one of the names linked with the captaincy when Chris Rogers retired at the end of last season.

That job went instead to youngster Tom Abell in a move that, in some respects, mirrors the aforementioned England approach of promoting youth.

Unlike with the national set-up, however, Hildreth has no quibbles with the club looking to the future.

“I’ve always been asked about it but there was so much other stuff going on with me, and Abes was hungry for it,” he said.

“I’ll definitely support him in whatever capacity he wants. It’s obviously his ship and he’ll steer it as he sees fit, but I’m sure he’ll bounce ideas off the senior players.

“It’s exciting - we as a team enjoy his company and he’s a brilliant bloke, so I think he’ll do a great job.”

Hildreth ended last season by limping to an unforgettable century that was scored despite the fact he sustained an ankle injury when he was on just seven, but the personal triumph was tinged with the team’s disappointment after Middlesex clinched the title on the very last day of the campaign.

“It was definitely a memorable knock,” Hildreth said.

“You don’t get many hundreds like that really – if the injury hadn’t happened it would probably have been quite a forgettable hundred but because of that everyone remembers it.

 “We were frustrated with how the season ended, but I think it definitely gives us confidence.

“Getting wins at home with the guys bowling spin, which I presume is the way we’re going to go again, gave us a formula to be successful and provided a real boost.

“For about the first half or three quarters of last season we were there or thereabouts, we weren’t playing great cricket, and really we just peaked towards the end – we didn’t quite peak enough but because of the way we finished we should be full of belief."

Hildreth has now finished as a Championship runner-up three times as a Somerset player, which has further fuelled his ambition to help the Cidermen claim the elusive prize.

“I would say the Championship is definitely the one we prioritise,” he confirmed.

“We don’t want to sacrifice the white ball competitions, though – we particularly need to improve our T20 as last year that was rubbish.

“But the amount that the members put on it, that we as players put on it and the fact that the club have never won it before means the Championship is the Holy Grail for us.

“It would be an amazing achievement to win it under a new captain, but that is the goal.”

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