Which England players have a point to prove against Ireland ahead of the Ashes?

England return to the scene of their scintillating World Cup final win against New Zealand with a four-day Test against Ireland, starting on Wednesday.

Jason Roy is one of three expected debutants for the one-off Test match at Lord's. Somerset's Lewis Gregory and Warwickshire's Olly Stone are poised to be named in England's bowling attack as James Anderson continues to struggle with a calf injury.

There are key names missing from the squad to take on the Irish. Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Adil Rashid, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood have all been rested, some due to injury.

Indeed, Wood has been ruled out for four to six weeks with a side strain. He is unlikely to return before the third Ashes Test at Headingley.

This, though, has given the selectors the chance to look at candidates on the cusp of Ashes selection. So, with this in mind, which players have it all to prove against Ireland?

Rory Burns

England's problem positions are at the top of the order, specifically the first three slots. When Andrew Strauss retired, England struggled to find a partner for Alastair Cook. Since the retirement of Cook, England have struggled to find a convincing opening partnership full stop.

Burns made his Test debut for England last year on the tour of Sri Lanka after his weight of runs in the County Championship made selection a no-brainer. However, he has yet to convince. He has now been involved in two Test series - Sri Lanka and West Indies - averaging 25 with a highest score of 84.

He needs runs against Ireland to boost his confidence before going up against the likes of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. The England selectors cannot afford to keep chopping a changing because selections flop.

The worry is that Burns found the step up to Test level a challenge while averaging over 50 in the Championship. This season with Surrey he is averaging only 38.

Jason Roy

The biggest gamble of the lot, but one the selectors - and the wider public - think is worth taking. Roy has played 82 ODIs for England and 32 international T20s, but is only now making his Test debut at 29 years old.

His pedigree in the shorter format of the game is beyond question. He played a key role in England's World Cup success - hitting a century and four half-centuries at an average of 63 - and has played in T20 leagues all over the world. The big question is, can he transfer his one-day skills to the Test-match arena?

Roy is not a regular top-order batsman in red-ball cricket for Surrey, played just two first-class matches last season and has opened only a handful of times for the county, often in a run-chase. He averages just 38.38 in first-class cricket and has scored nine centuries from 81 matches. It hardly inspires confidence.

England are pinning their hopes on Roy, not just because he is such a talented limited-overs batsman, but because the alternatives - Keaton Jennings, James Vince, Alex Hales - have been tried and tried and tried again.

Joe Denly

As mentioned earlier, it's not just the opening pairing that's an issue. Due to Joe Root's steadfast refusal to bat anywhere but No 4, England have been unable to find a reliable, world-class operator at No 3 since Jonathan Trott.

James Vince has been mooted, but a propensity for giving his wicket away has created trust issues. Ian Bell is now considered too old. Hales is currently persona non grata. Gary Ballance has technique problems against real pace. Dominic Sibley and Zak Crawley are seemingly too raw. And none of them have been picked to face Ireland anyway.

Which means that, due to Jonny Bairstow's reluctance to bat this high in Test cricket, Denly has the opportunity to stake his claim. He is averaging 56 in the Championship this season for Kent, with a highest score of 167 not out, so has form on his side. He is also a bowling option, which helps. But at 33 it is now or never if he is going to play in an Ashes series. Score runs against the Irish and he is likely to be included. Fail, and expect a call-up for Vince.

Moeen Ali

It might seem strange that Moeen has been included in this list but his form has flagged in recent months, to the point where he was dropped from the World Cup starting XI. He needs a good showing against Ireland to restore confidence, not only his own but also his captain's in him.

Moeen averaged just 18.75 and took only five wickets during the World Cup.

It is in Test cricket, though, that his worth to England is most keenly felt. His presence adds balance to the side and allows the inclusion of an extra fast bowler to give skipper Root more options in the field. But England cannot afford to carry anyone. Mo needs to be scoring runs and taking wickets to justify his place in the starting XI.

It will be interesting to see how left-arm spinner Jack Leach performs against Ireland if he is selected.

Stuart Broad

How can England's all-time second-highest wicket-taker be on this list? Simple, Jofra Archer. During the Test series against Australia, England will select four pace bowlers. One will be Stokes, the all-rounder. One will be James Anderson (if fit), who may be 36 but remains England's greatest exponent of swing.

The final two slots are a shoot-out between Broad, Archer, Wood, Chris Woakes, Olly Stone and Sam Curran. There is every chance at least four of this group will make it into the wider Ashes squad, but as far as the starting XI goes, four into two doesn't go, and Broad is looking vulnerable because Archer is now a shoo-in.

Woakes is a fantastic bowler in English conditions and the first Ashes Test is on his home ground, Edgbaston. Curran is left-arm over - a point of difference - and can also extract prodigious swing on favourable wickets. And, like Woakes, he is verging on a becoming a genuine all-rounder. Woakes, Curran and 90mph pace bowler Stone are all in the squad to face Ireland.

With such stiff competition, this is the perfect opportunity for Broad to prove there is no substitute for experience.

England squad for Ireland Test

Root, Moeen, Anderson, Bairstow, Broad, Burns, Curran, Denly, Gregory, Leach, Roy, Stone, Woakes.