Vaughan was a spectator during the one-day series in India [GALLO/GETTY]

Vaughan resigned from the England captaincy last August and though he said he was keen to return to the team as a batsmen, he has scored barely any runs since then in the few matches he has played.

Despite being handed a central contact in September, he did not feature in the recent two-Test series defeat against India and was left out of the 16-man squad announced on Monday for the series that begins in February.

'Form not proven'

"Michael Vaughan has not yet had an opportunity to prove his form in order to be considered for selection for the test side," said selector Geoff Miller.

"He does, however, remain very much in our thoughts as we continue to plan for the Ashes series against Australia later this summer.

"Despite losing the series in India 1-0 we felt the team performed creditably against strong opposition and all the players originally chosen for that series have been retained in the squad.

"Adil Rashid is an exciting prospect for the future and his inclusion will enable us to continue to monitor his development closely as well as providing extra competition for places in the spin-bowling department."

Sidebottom, England's leading bowler at the start of last season, is back in the squad after recovering from a run of injuries.

New keeper

The selectors also named 15-man one-day squad, which includes a return for dynamic Hampshire all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas and a first call-up for Worcestershire wicketkeeper Steven Davies.

Kent captain Robert Key will lead a 14-man England Lions squad to New Zealand.

England will play four Tests against the West Indies, starting on February 4, followed by five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 match.

The teams meet again for another two Tests in England in May, ahead of the Ashes series later in the year.