Steven Finn could get his chance against New Zealand on Tuesday © Getty Images
Steven Finn has been confirmed as Chris Woakes’ replacement in England’s Champions Trophy squad.
Woakes was ruled out of the tournament after suffering a side strain in the opening game against Bangladesh at The Oval. He managed just two overs before leaving the field.
Finn was the most significant omission from the original 15-man squad and was called up for the final ODI against South Africa at Lord’s last week. He has since played two matches for England Lions against South Africa A in which he has taken five wickets.
Finn will immediately come into the reckoning for a place in the XI against New Zealand in Cardiff on Tuesday with a number of England’s other pace resources under scrutiny.
Jake Ball has conceded over 80 in two of his last three outings while David Willey struggled to make the white ball swing in his one outing against South Africa. There also remain question marks over Ben Stokes’ ability to get through 10 overs due to his ongoing knee problem.
England could be keen to retain the balance of five quick bowlers alongside Moeen Ali because of the short, straight boundaries in Cardiff which make it a challenge for spinners. In their previous two ODIs at the ground they played just one frontline spinner – Adil Rashid against Sri Lanka and Liam Dawson against Pakistan – so Rashid, who was omitted against Bangladesh, could be sidelined again.
Finn was part of the three-match one-day series in West Indies during March which were his first ODIs in 18 months.
He was always the frontrunner to replace Woakes although Toby Roland-Jones, who made his debut against South Africa, and Surrey’s Tom Curran could have been other options.
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo