Ian Bell has insisted that his immediate focus is on his captaincy duties with Warwickshire.
The 33-year-old was recently dropped from the England Test side, who face Sri Lanka and Pakistan on home soil this summer.
However, rather than fixate on the prospect of a recall, Bell instead is eager to put runs on the board for his county.
"I would love to have been out in South Africa for the Test series but it has been nice to have a break, not pick up a bat for a couple of months. I feel really excited by the season that's about to start," he told Sky Sports News.
"For me it's about concentrating on Warwickshire, enjoying the captaincy, things are a little bit different there, and scoring runs. If I'm winning games for Warwickshire I'll put my name in the hat to be talked about."
From his 118 Test appearances, Bell has scored 7,727 runs at an average of 42.69.