A trim-looking Samit Patel was already heading to the UAE next week on a post-season holiday.
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All-rounder Samit Patel has been called up to the England Test squad for the upcoming series against Pakistan in UAE as a replacement for the injured Zafar Ansari.
England, who beat Australia 3-2 in this year’s Ashes series, will play three Tests against Pakistan in October and November, followed by four day/night one-day internationals and three Twenty20 matches.
Ansari is distinctly unfortunate.
Ansari was included in the 16-man squad last week – his first Test call-up – only to suffer an open dislocation to his left thumb when fielding in Surrey’s Division Two fixture at Old Trafford later that day. Surrey confirmed the extent of Ansari’s injury in a tweet at 10pm on Tuesday, but the club had been fearing the worst from the outset. He left the field holding a bandage to his left hand and soon went to hospital.
Nottinghamshire’s Patel – like Ansari an off-spinning all-rounder – was a member of the England squad which won a Test series in India for the first time since 1984/85 in 2012. “The European Central Bank and Surrey medical staff will supervise his rehabilitation closely and we all hope that he will be able to take up his place in the EPP and Lions squads for their trips to UAE later in the year”.
Confirming the news, national selector James Whitaker said that Samir Patel was similar to Zafar in terms of cricketing qualities and skills, and added that his experience of performing in sub-continental conditions are being seen as a useful asset by the selectors.
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ODI squad: Eoin Morgan (captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Steven Finn, Alex Hales, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, James Taylor, Reece Topley, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
