England are bolstered by the return of fit-again Finn
Fast bowler Steven Finn has arrived to bolster the England ranks ahead of their South Africa tour, increasing the competition for places ahead of the Test series.
Finn, having come through two Twenty20 games for England Lions against Pakistan, swapped Dubai for Potchefstroom yesterday but will not be considered for the threeday warm-up against a South Africa Invitational XI, which starts today.
He has been recovering from a bone stress injury to his left foot, suffered prior to the Pakistan series in October, and remains an outside bet to be deemed Test ready for the opener on Boxing Day.
Nevertheless, the mere presence of the 6ft 7in, owner of 26 Test caps and taker of 102 wickets, will add to the competition in the squad.
England’s captain, Alastair Cook, has said places are up for grabs and Finn’s call-up will put Mark Footitt, Chris Woakes and Chris Jordan – who are vying for one spot in the attack – on alert.
Finn’s first task will be proving his fitness at the team’s Senwes Park training base, but he is thought to be optimistic about his conditioning after taking four wickets in his two outings in Dubai.
“I’ve been really pleased with the way things have gone with the Lions,” he said. “I’ve bowled my overs and my foot has come through fine. I’m excited by the prospect of linking up with the team out in South Africa.”
The Test pitches are typically receptive to quick bowlers and wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow is convinced Finn will be a huge asset, whenever he is available for selection.
“It’s fantastic news,” said Bairstow. “We were really disappointed with Finny getting injured in the UAE, he’s an integral part of our squad and to have him back and, hopefully, pushing for a place in the first or second Test is fantastic. With his height and extra bounce and pace, he will bring a different aspect to our pace attack.”
Bairstow’s own position in the side appears to be solid after the head coach, Trevor Bayliss, gave him the green light to retain the gloves ahead of Jos Buttler.
Buttler dropped out for England’s previous Test in Sharjah after enduring a torrid run with the bat, but a return to form in the one-day series suggested he may be a candidate for a swift return.
“Having the confidence of the captain and coach going into the warm-up games and hopefully the first Test is something you can take on, be relaxed and enjoy yourself,” said Bairstow.
The 26-year-old Yorkshireman has played as a specialist batsman in 17 of his 20 Tests, but is not concerned about pulling double duty in the long term.
“It’s going to be a learning curve. I’ve only kept in three Test matches so it’s an exciting time for me personally, being able to hopefully press home the position,” he explained.
“I’ve been keeping wicket and batting at five for Yorkshire for six or seven years. It’s not something I envisage affecting me in terms of fatigue or anything like that.”
Bairstow’s opposite number in the series is the peerless AB de Villiers, who has returned to keeping duty for at least the first two matches.
“Obviously, comparing yourself to someone like AB is going to be a fantastic challenge,” added Bairstow, “and if I do come out being the better of the batsmen-wicketkeepers or wicketkeeper-batsmen – whichever way you want to look at it – then I will have had a very good tour.”
It’s great news. With his height and extra bounce he will bring a different aspect to our pace attack