ESSEX legend Ronnie Irani believes local cricketers Ravi Bopara and James Foster will go on to establish themselves as future England greats.

The former Essex County Cricket Club skipper worked extensively with both Bopara and Foster during his time at the club and, having seen what each of them are capable of, has been left in no doubt that they can excel on the world stage.

Bopara, who played for Hainault & Clayhall as a youngster, is a team-mate of Loughton-based Foster at Essex. Both have played for their country in the past but have since been overlooked. Bopara seemed to have cracked the international game when he blasted three successive centuries in the West Indies last summer, before a disappointing spell at number three during the Ashes cost him his place in the team, while Foster played in seven Tests and 11 One Day Internationals before he was dropped.

Irani admitted he was ‘disappointed’ that the England selectors have chosen to ignore wicketkeeper Foster in recent years, preferring to experiment with the likes of Chris Read and Geraint Jones before finally settling for current incumbent Matthew Prior.

“James Foster is a fantastic cricketer and it’s disappointing for me that the England selectors haven’t given him more opportunities because he’s earned it,” argued Irani, who plied his trade as an all-rounder.

The 29-year-old keeper is widely regarded as the finest wicketkeeper in the country, but his indifferent batting in the past has seen others jump ahead of him in the queue.

It is a reputation Foster has been attempting to shake off in recent seasons, and with some success. His First Class batting average has risen above 36, while he kicked this season’s LV County Championship season off with a commanding knock of 88 against Hampshire, before taking Durham’s bowling attack to pieces in a superb innings of 169.

“All the wicketkeepers are similar but Foster has far better hands than all of them,” said Irani, referring to Foster’s ability behind the stumps.

“He’s the best wicketkeeper in the country by a good margin. Batting wise, he’s up there with all of them, too.

“James tends to bat better when he’s under the most amount of pressure, so when he’s playing at the highest level he will excel himself. Given the opportunity, he would score runs at Test level, no doubt about it. Hopefully his time will come.”

Irani was similarly enthusiastic about Bopara’s chances of regaining his place in the national side.

The 24-year-old remains on the fringes of England’s Twenty20 team, his flamboyant style of batting earning him a place in the squad for this month’s Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies, although he has yet to feature.

Irani, though, was adamant about Bopara’s credentials.

“He (Bopara) is a world class cricketer,” insisted Irani, who made three Test appearances and played in 31 ODIs for England. “He went to the Windies, got three centuries on the trot and went up the order and batted straight away against Australia, who are arguably the best Test-playing nation in the world. That’s a lot to ask. His best position is five or six.

“Unfortunately he made one or two mistakes but even so I thought he was hard done by. But he’ll come back again, he’s a young player and a world class player.

“He’s a real entertainer when he gets going. He will be an England star in all forms of cricket and will be one of the best players in the world.”

Few are better qualified than Irani to make such bold predictions.

Only time will tell if they will come true.