Alex Lees casts off defensive approach to prove he's far more than a 'Volvo'

Alex Lees sold himself to the new coach as the Volvo at the top of the order but he souped himself up into something a lot flashier in his first fifty for England.

Lees has cast off his defensive, one paced batting in his past two innings after gauging the mood in the room under Brendon McCullum.

Better to go down fighting and playing shots with this regime than replicate the comatose batting of the Caribbean where he dug a trench for himself with a strike rate of just 27 despite playing on some of the flattest roads he will ever encounter.

There he was gripped by self doubt, looking as though he believed he was not good enough to play at Test level.

He was a last resort pick after the failures of Haseeb Hameed and Rory Burns in Australia where Lees was in the right position to make an impression - captaining the England Lions and training with England rather than facing Pat Cummins. He left a good impression on the management, with James Anderson rating him after bowling at him in the nets in Brisbane.

As it turned out the last days of the Root captaincy were an unappealing time to make a Test debut, especially for Lees aged 29 and knowing it would be his only crack at an England career. He left Grenada after the final Test defeat, with an average of 21 and could easily have been a victim of regime change.

McCullum came in with little knowledge of English cricket so no list of ready replacements while Stokes is a loyal team-mate who saw a player who was a good tourist and deserved another chance.

And Lees has recognised in his past two innings he has nothing to lose. He owns a good, solid defence which is why he has reached at least 20 in the seven innings since he made single figures on debut, so decided if he can add