Published: Aug 16, 2016, 04:34 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 17, 2016, 02:09 AM (IST)
Ben Stokes and Mark Wood make their way back to the England One-Day International (ODI) squad against Pakistan after staying away due to injuries. They will join the squad after completing their county final at NatWest Blast at Edgbaston this weekend. Stokes has thrown himself into his rehabilitation for the second time this summer since suffering a torn calf muscle when bowling in the third Investec Test against Pakistan at Emirates Old Trafford late last month, and is set to add to his tally of 39 ODI appearances – the last against South Africa in Cape Town in February. In contrast, Wood has entered the ODI arena after prolong absence but has made an impressive return in recent weeks with both Durham and England Lions from an ankle injury sustained in last winter’s series against Pakistan in the UAE. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: Pakistan vs England, 1st ODI at The Rose Bowl, Southampton.
England national selector James Whitaker said, “Ben’s made really significant progress over the last three weeks and our medical team are pleased. He’s progressing nicely towards bowling over the next week or so, and while we hope that initially he might just play as a batter he will lead into the series as an allrounder eventually. He’s worked really hard on his rehab and it’s given everyone a lot of confidence. To have him around again will be a huge bonus for Eoin Morgan and his team. Mark Wood has had a couple of operations, and with his hard work and advice from our medical team he’s now able to take part in this series. Just over the last month he’s progressed very well and we’re very happy for him. We got him back into the Lions initially, he’d just played a couple of games for Durham before, and he played really well for the Lions and he’s continued that form since.”
England squad also includes players who were suffering from injury – Jos Buttler and captain Eoin Morgan. Whitaker is confident both will be fit for the ODIs, “I spoke to Jos two or three days ago. He’s very happy and very comfortable. He’s been catching a lot of balls. Again our medical team have done a brilliant job, and he’s worked very hard. He’s a vital cog in our one-day team. The captain is recovering nicely with his fingers so all being well they’re good to go.” The squad also includes one uncapped player Liam Dawson, the Hampshire all-rounder. ALSO READ: Pakistan vs England: Misbah-ul-Haq vows to leave Test legacy
Speaking on Dawson, Whitaker said, “He came into the squad for that one-off game and really impressed. He’d previously impressed the coaches on the Performance Programme in the winter, and over the last two years he’s been very consistent for Hampshire. So it’s good for him and I’m really pleased he might get a go.”
He further added, “Players like Ben Duckett, Sam Billings and Dawid Malan have all been performing very well in the Lions – and James Vince, although he’s not in this squad, remains in our plans. So there’s three or four players there pushing for batting spots – I think that’s incredibly healthy for English cricket. We’ve had a lot of confidence come out of our one-day team over the last 18 months, and this selection just emphasises how well they’ve done. Credit to Morgan and Trevor Bayliss. There’s a lot of energy in the one-day team, as we’re building towards the Champions Trophy next year.”
England Squad: Eoin Morgan (c), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wk), Liam Dawson, Chris Jordan, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid , Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
