And that has drawn the ire of Bradford native Jonny Bairstow, who had furiously criticised the decision not to call up his Yorkshire team-mate.

Hill was outstanding for Yorkshire last season, ending the County Championship campaign as their leading scorer (748 runs at 34) and top wicket-taker (48 at 18.39).

Only four other bowlers took more scalps than him in Division One all season.

Add to that the fact that Hill impressed in the field too, and Bairstow cannot believe that the 25-year-old has missed out.

On his Instagram story, Yorkshire captain Bairstow said: “Absolute joke!

“England are hardly blessed with people that can swing the ball, bat well and be a jet in the field!”

Jonny Bairstow captained Yorkshire throughout their County Championship campaign, so had a close up view of exactly what George Hill brought to the team. (Image: Ray Spencer)

Hill was not awarded an England contract earlier this month, while his team-mate Matt Revis was given one, despite his more modest stats.

It could be argued that the ECB are prioritising attributes over averages, which they will feel is the point of their Lions programme.

Furthermore, the West Indies tour only contains 50-over and T20 matches, but then Hill still enjoyed a strong Metro Bank One-Day Cup, scoring 199 runs at 49.75 across his seven innings and 15 wickets at 22.40.

The fact he took a five-wicket haul for the Lions in an unofficial test against India A last summer suggests there is hope for Hill at international level.

And the Lions do have two four-day games against South Africa in December, which Hill will be hopeful of featuring in.

If he is selected and does well in the Southern Hemisphere, that could push his case for full international honours.

But for now, Yorkshire fans will surely be happy to have their star all-rounder all to themselves.