Gough impressed by paceman Joseph

Joseph has been involved with England's Performance Squad

Former England star Darren Gough believes Kent's Robbie Joseph could become the next uncapped pace bowler to make it into the national side.

Antigua-born Joseph, 27, took 55 Championship wickets last summer and spent part of the winter with the England Performance squad.

"Robbie Joseph is very exciting. I think he's quality and will get better and better," Gough told BBC Radio Kent.

"He swings the ball, bowls a heavy pace and he can bat as well."

Joseph's Kent teammate Amjad Khan made his England debut in the Caribbean earlier this year and Graham Onions and Tim Bresnan recently won their first caps against West Indies.

606: DEBATE

Give your reaction to this story

And Gough, who played 58 Tests and 159 one-day internationals for England, believes Joseph also has the ability to make the step up.

"I remember seeing him when he was a young kid and you could see that he was going to be a good cricketer then and he's keen to learn and is a very nice, soft natured character," he said.

Gough also believes Kent wicketkeeper Geraint Jones is worthy of an England recall after an impressive start to the season with bat.

Jones, 32, has been out of favour since the 2006-07 Ashes series in Australia and now appears to be only fourth or fifth in line behind England's current first-choice keeper Matt Prior.

Gough said: "I think he was hard done by over a bad little run he had for England towards the end. But if he keeps scoring hundreds, he will get his chance. He's just got to bide his time and keep improving.

"He's going to get one more chance and he's got to remember that the next time he plays for England, he's got to perform.

"Same as Michael Vaughan - a friend of mine - if he gets back in the England side, he knows straight away he's under pressure to perform, because if he doesn't, that's it - England career over."

One Kent player who will soon be involved with England is skipper Rob Key, who is in the squad for next month's ICC World Twenty20 and should make the starting XI, according to Gough.

"I think he'll play. He's a top Twenty20 player and he's had huge success with Kent in that form of the game. I hope he gets his chance, I really do, because it's a way back in for him.

"You wouldn't have thought Rob Key would have been a Twenty20 player five years ago but it's brought his game on leaps and bounds," said Gough.