Injury-Hit England Call Up Liam Plunkett

Injury-Hit England Call Up Liam Plunkett

Liam Plunkett has been added to England's injury-ravaged squad in Australia

©Action Images / Ed Sykes

Following injuries to Ajmal Shahzad and Chris Tremlett, England have called up Durham seamer Liam Plunkett to add bowling cover for the remainder of the One-Day International series in Australia.

Tremlett has a side strain and Shahzad a hamstring strain and both will now undergo further assessment and Plunkett will arrive from the West Indies, where he was with the England Lions 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," England team director Andy Flower 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.

“We have two games left in this series and will be looking to end the tour with strong performances in Sydney and Perth.”

England trail 4-1 in the series having also lost Tim Bresnan and Stuart Broad to injury earlier in the tour. They are evens to win the sixth match in the series on 2nd February with bet365, who make Australia 4/5 favourites.

Plunkett has played nine Tests and 28 One-Day Internationals for his country.

© Cricket World 2011