Wood handed recall for Champions Trophy
England leave out fast bowler Finn from 15-man roster
England have called up fitagain Mark Wood for the forthcoming Champions Trophy campaign, but his fellow pace bowler Steven Finn has been left out of the 15-man squad.
Wood has returned to fitness after being sidelined for several months following a third ankle operation.
The Durham seamer has done enough in the opening weeks of the season to persuade the England selectors he is ready for the tournament, which will be held in England and Wales in June.
England regard the eightteam event as a chance to land a first global 50-over trophy and Wood is a potentially key performer.
The 27-year-old last played for England in September and, although injury problems have restricted him to a modest 11 one-day caps since debuting in 2015, his pace and hostility mark him out as a compelling choice.
There are no real surprises in the squad, which will also take on South Africa in a three-match series before the Champions Trophy, but Finn might have hoped to oust one of Jake Ball or David Willey from the party.
Modified squad
The Middlesex man played all three matches in England’s last 50-over series, against the West Indies but Willey offers variation as a left-armer and with Ball arguably a more consistent likefor-like option, there is no place for the paceman.
Instead, he is named in a modified 14-man squad to face Ireland in two one-day internationals in early May.
“We have made encouraging progress over the past 18 months in white-ball cricket and the
Champions Trophy & South Africa series:
Eoin Morgan (Middlesex, captain), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Jake Ball (Nottinghamshire), Sam Billings (Kent), Jos Buttler (Lancashire), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), Ben Stokes (Durham), David Willey (Yorkshire), Chris Woakes (Warwickshire), Mark Wood (Durham).
Eoin Morgan (Middlesex, capt), Moeen Ali (Worcestershire), Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire), Jake Ball (Nottinghamshire), Sam Billings (Kent), Ben Duckett (Northamptonshire), Steven Finn (Middlesex), Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire), Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Jason Roy (Surrey), David Willey (Yorkshire), Mark Wood (Durham).
For Ireland series:
squads selected reflect consistency and give options across all disciplines,” national selector James Whitaker said. “It is pleasing Mark Wood and David Willey have returned to full fitness.
“They add variety and quality to our bowling strengths and David’s ability as an attacking batsman is also an important element for us.”