JAMES Vince has missed out on a place in the Big Bash final – but has been given hope of returning to England’s Test side.

Vince was out for a 24-ball 28 as the Sydney Sixers lost to the Melbourne Renegades off the penultimate ball of their semi-final this morning.

The Hampshire captain finished the Big Bash with 269 runs at 44.83 and a strike rate of 136.54.

England are not in Test action again until the Ashes precursor against Ireland at the end of July.

But when asked about England’s batting options after the 2-1 defeat against the West Indies, coach Trevor Bayliss admitted that Jason Roy could be an option at the top of the order – and that Vince can also come back into contention if he starts the county season well.

He said: “Jason is one of the names that’s been spoken about over the last six to nine months as a possibility. He could be a Test player.

“James is another one who 12 months ago played pretty well in Australia in patches. If those two guys come out and score runs, they’ll be in the mix.”

Vince has an average of 24.9 from his 13 Tests, the last of which he played in New Zealand last March.

His highest Test score of 83 was made during the first match of the 2017/18 series in Brisbane.

Bayliss added: "The struggles of the top three are well documented. They've all shown what they can do, but it's about doing it more regularly."