England call up Plunkett to injury-ravaged squad
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England have called up Liam Plunkett, the Durham pace bowler, into their injury-hit one-day squad although he will only arrive in Australia from the Lions tour of West Indies in time for the final match at Perth on Sunday.
The visitors were left with the bare bones of a pace attack after Chris Tremlett was ruled out of the fifth one-day international in Brisbane with a side strain, then Ajmal Shazhad limped off after eight overs with a hamstring injury. Both players will undergo scans on Tuesday with Shahzad the more serious concern as he is part of England's World Cup squad.
Plunkett played the most recent of his 28 one-day internationals last year against Bangladesh, at Chittagong, and now faces an arduous trip around the world for a match he may not play before returning to the Caribbean where the Lions are taking part in the local first-class tournament. Plunkett, 25, has taken has taken 37 ODI wickets at 34.37 and was part of England's 2007 World Cup squad.
"Liam Plunkett has been part of the England performance programme and England Lions squad this winter so we are confident that he will be ready to play a role for England should the need arise," Andy Flower, the England team director, said.
"We are waiting for an update on the injuries to Ajmal Shahzad and Chris Tremlett but with our preparations for the World Cup starting in less than a fortnight we need to prioritise getting our World Cup squad members fit and ready for the start of the tournament."
Even before the latest brace of injuries England had been badly hit during the one-day series with Tim Bresnan (calf) and Graeme Swann (back) flying home, while Stuart Broad remains on the sidelines as he recovers from his abdominal injury. It means there are concerns over more than half England's first-choice attack, although the news on Broad appears more positive with the allrounder making good progress.
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