Being called up to the Test squad for the first time was a pretty special feeling – and not to have seen it coming made it all the more special.

I got out of the shower to find I’d missed a call from James Whitaker, the England selector, but he’d left me a voicemail suggesting there’d be some good news. And of course, when I rang him back, there was!

I’m trying not to think too much about my chances of actually playing in the match against Pakistan but to be involved in any England set-up, especially at Lord’s, is a fantastic prospect.

If I do get to play, I know it’ll be a big help having a Middlesex colleague around in Steven Finn and I’m sure I’ll be able to pick his brains on any teething issues that come up.

Obviously it’s also a really positive thing for the club. Everyone wants to feel they’re providing players for England and Middlesex have a rich history of doing that, so it’s good to continue the trend.

The England call rounded off a great couple of days, following our win against Yorkshire in Scarborough. For a variety of reasons we haven’t had too many positive results in the Championship this season, so to pull that one off was superb.

Scarborough’s a tough place to go – one where you need to be on your best form – and it really was a great team performance from start to finish.

Eski deserves a particular mention again for his 150, which was excellent to watch – he’s waited patiently for his chance and now he’s really seized the moment. Hopefully he can continue this wave he’s on at the moment.

I guess the final morning really was the definition of having licence to go out and throw the bat, for myself and Murts. We needed to get the game going quickly, although nobody could have envisaged it going quite as well as it did!

It was important to use that impetus and that’s exactly what we did. To go to the champions, play like we did, and beat them, is something that can only give the lads a lot of confidence.

It’s certainly a win that we all savoured and there was a really good atmosphere among the group on the train back home.

But, while it’s nice to reflect on a win like that, it doesn’t mean the same if you don’t back it up. We need to build on that success and maintain the standards we’ve set ourselves.