Lancashire batting star Josh Bohannon says he is loving the challenge of further developing a fearless approach to his game as he bids to break into England’s Test plans.

Bohannon is currently chasing twin ambitions - that being one and the other trying to win silverware with his home county.

The 26-year-old former Farnworth Social Circle star is already a fully-fledged England Lion, touring Australia and Sri Lanka with them over the last two winters. He has also been spoken about regularly for higher honours but is yet to make the final cut for a senior squad.

Quite how close he is, only a handful of people will know, Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum being two of them.

But Boltonian Bohannon is having an excellent season and is certainly doing all he can to press his case.

He is the third leading run-scorer in Division One of the County Championship with 888, including two centuries, and has already scored another hundred in the ongoing Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign, 105 in a win against champions Kent at Blackpool last week, as Lancashire progressed to the last eight where they will visit Gloucestershire on Friday.

Bohannon has never been a dasher in the style of Test stars Jonny Bairstow or a Harry Brook. Equally, nor is he someone who is incapable of taking an attack apart.

Fearless seems to be a bit of a buzz word when it comes to England’s batters across all forms. Lancashire debutants Tom Aspinwall and Matty Hurst are prime examples, the pair both aged 19.

“Lads are fearless now, and it’s really exciting to watch,” said Bohannon.

“The way I was brought up was different to the way they were, despite there only probably being a five-year gap. And it’s something I’ve been working on.

“In terms of technique, nothing’s changed for me. Mindset wise, maybe some of the stuff I did in the winter with the Lions (in Sri Lanka) has helped me move towards that.

“In can be things like, instead of maybe having a look after 20 balls, if it’s a half volley, it’s a half volley. I think we can overthink stuff a lot in this game. But, when you think about it, it’s simple isn’t it.

“I’m getting some results back from it, from where I was two years ago strike-rate wise, which is nice.

“It’s not something I’m going out there and doing on purpose. I’m not thinking, ‘I need to go out and strike at 70 or 80 or higher to get in the Test squad’.

“I just want to score as many runs as possible for the team and help win games.

“But you have that in the back of your mind that you want to play for England and play the way they want. Sometimes the situation in games for Lancs allows that, other times you have to play it differently.

“But all the stuff I’m doing in practice is obviously working towards trying to break into that Test squad.”

Bohannon has played 63 first-class matches since debuting in 2018; 3,815 runs, average 45.41 and strike-rate 51.71. But he has only played 62 times across both forms of limited overs cricket.

“I have played a little bit of white-ball cricket. I’ve had a couple of chances up the top in T20, but it’s mostly been at the back end,” he said.

“This 50-over comp, for me, allows me to practice those sorts of skills. It’s a great builder for me to hopefully go into the final month of the season and hopefully an exciting winter.

“Who knows what that holds. Hopefully there’s some Lions stuff I can be a part of. Even better, maybe the senior set-up. If not, there are a couple of training camp things which might go ahead with the club.”

Bohannon is one of the more senior heads in the Lancashire squad for the One-Day Cup. Keaton Jennings is captain, and ex-skipper Dane Vilas is around. Though other senior heads are few and far between because of Hundred unavailability.

That allows Bosh, as he is nicknamed, to develop another side of his game.

“Me and Keats have chatted quite a bit about it, with me trying to help him and take a leadership role with the younger lads,” he said. “That helps me massively as well.

“I’m trying to pass on some experience that I’ve got and help make his job easier. I’m doing a lot of stuff with George Bell for one, which is nice. I can be saying something to him and think, ‘Yeah, that makes sense about my game as well’.”