AS TOM Alsop prepares for his tour of Sri Lanka with England Lions this month, the Rowde cricketer has paid tribute to the influence of his Hampshire team-mate Michael Carberry.

The former England batsman is back training with his county this winter as he continues his treatment following the discovery of a cancerous tumour in the summer.

But with 21-year-old Alsop now preparing for the first Test against Sri Lanka this week, the Wiltshire player has taken plenty of advice from his more experienced colleagues about what to expect.

“I have been speaking to Vincey (Steeple Ashton’s James Vince) and Daws (Calne’s Liam Dawson), but I have become particularly close with Michael Carberry,” said Alsop.

“He has been great and given me plenty of advice about what to expect. He is a huge character in our dressing room (at Hampshire) and it is great to have him back.”

With the first Test beginning on Sunday, Alsop is hoping to follow in the footsteps of his Wiltshire and Hampshire colleagues, who have progressed from the Lions squad to full England honours.

After captaining the Lions last winter, Vince was drafted into the England Test team last summer to replace James Taylor following his retirement from the game due to a heart problem.

He went on to make seven Test outings before being dropped for the one-day series against Pakistan.

Dawson, meanwhile, after featuring for the Lions, broke into the one-day and Twenty20 squads before making his Test debut before Christmas in India.

The Calne all-rounder will head out to the West Indies in March for a three-match ODI series after retaining his place in the England squad.

“Of course you look at what both Vincey and Daws have done,” Alsop said. “It would be great if I could do what they have done.

“But for me, I just have to focus on my game, do what I have to do, and let the rest take care of itself.

“It is good that I’m being noticed and I have been really looking forward to this tour.

“I got a little taste with the Lions before Christmas out in the United Arab Emirates and I know that I want more.”

Last week, the left-handed batsman was back in Wiltshire running a pre-season session for Chippenham, for whom his elder brother Owen is player-coach.

This season, the West of England Premier League Premier Two Glos/Wilts outfit will be skippered by former Frocester man Oli Jones, who joined the club midway through last summer.