Bradford-born Gareth Batty, the 25-year-old off-spinner Yorkshire let go, will achieve his life-long ambition of playing for England if selected for the third Test against South Africa at Trent Bridge on Thursday.

And if he makes it into the side it will be a treasured moment for his dad 'George', the only bowler ever to take 2,000 wickets in the Bradford League, and for brother Jeremy, who played in 64 matches for Yorkshire and claimed 140 first class wickets.

Gareth, now with Worcestershire, is one of three new faces in the squad and his selection was strongly recommended by England captain Michael Vaughan.

He has been an admirer of Gareth ever since the Bradford League product was first awarded a scholarship with Yorkshire as a 15-year-old and then joined the county club's Academy at Bradford Park Avenue.

Gareth, who won the Ernest Lodge Trophy for the most promising spinner in the Bradford League in 1993 and 1994 while with Keighley, played in one first class match for Yorkshire in 1997 when he was selection for the non-Championship Roses clash with Lancashire.

He claimed his first wicket by bowling Neil Fairbrother and in the second innings he dismissed England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff.

After being released by Yorkshire later that season, Gareth went to Surrey and in September, 2001, he blasted the Lions to victory over Yorkshire Phoenix with his best one-day score of 83 not out.

A lack of regular first team opportunities resulted in Batty moving to Worcestershire at the start of last season and he has never looked back.

Last winter he was a member of the ECB National Academy squad in Adelaide from where he was called up by England for the one-day VB series in Australia and he played in two of the matches, making his debut against Australia at Sydney.

England lose two Yorkshiremen from the Test squad with the retirement of Darren Gough and the axing of Bradford-born Anthony McGrath but they gain two

in Batty and Skipton-born Glen Chapple, the Lancashire seamer.