Cricket fan Ben Earl raised his bat for 50 England caps in Rome yesterday and colleagues insisted it was never in doubt.

The back row had an up and down start to his Test career after making his debut against Scotland in 2020 under Eddie Jones.
Earl won 13 caps off the bench until 2021 when he was sidelined by Jones before Steve Borthwick brought him back into the fold in 2023 and handed him a first start later that year.
Since then, the Saracen has been a fixture in the starting line-up after forcing his way in during the World Cup in France and has motored to his half-century since then.
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