Prior Handed World Cup Recall By England

Prior Handed World Cup Recall By England

Matthew Prior has been given a recall ahead of the World Cup

©REUTERS/Andrew Biraj (BANGLADESH - Tags: SPORT CRICKET) Picture Supplied by Action Images

England have handed a recall to wicket-keeper Matthew Prior in naming their 15-man World Cup squad and named three spinners for the tournament.

Prior replaces Steven Davies, who is currently involved in England's One-Day International series in Australia while Graeme Swann, Michael Yardy and James Tredwell have been named as specialist slow bowlers.

Stuart Broad, who missed the end of the Ashes series and the ODIs in Australia with a stomach injury, has been named in the squad as he is expected to recover in time to play a full part in the competition, which gets underway on 19th February.

"We believe we have selected an extremely exciting World Cup squad that offers balance with several options across the entire squad," national selector Geoff Miller said.

"With this tournament being staged on the sub-continent, the conditions will require a specific style of cricket and we feel that we’ve selected a squad that can prosper in these conditions.

"Under the leadership of Andrew Strauss we certainly feel we have a squad that can make strong progress in this World Cup as we seek to add to the success of ICC World Twenty20 from last year.

"Matt Prior returns to the England ODI squad after a brief absence and given his recent form and his batting style, which is very well suited to the sub-continent conditions, we believe his inclusion is warranted.

"Due to his inclusion in this World Cup squad Matt - who is currently representing Victoria in the Australian domestic Twenty20 competition - will join up with the England squad later this week ahead of the second ODI against Australia in Hobart on Friday.

"Despite some strong performances both with the bat and behind the stumps by Steven Davies, we feel that Matt’s game will be better suited to the conditions in Bangladesh and India, the venues staging England’s group matches.

"With spin bowlers set to play a prominent role in this World Cup, we feel we have quality and depth in Graeme Swann, Michael Yardy and James Tredwell, who have all shown their capabilities at international level.

"Kent's James Tredwell is one of three spinners included in the 15-strong party, alongside Graeme Swann and Michael Yardy

"We have several batsmen and pace bowlers that have been successful on the ODI stage while offering an encouraging blend of conventional and innovative approaches.

"Paul Collingwood may not have scored as many runs as he would have liked so far on the tour of Australia but he has been a consistently strong performer for England in limited-overs cricket for a long period of time.

“His experience, ODI knowledge and skills across all three facets of the game make him a valuable member of the squad and he'll be looking to make a big impact at another global event.

"Stuart Broad continues to make strong progress in his rehabilitation from an abdominal injury and we expect him to make a full recovery by the time the squad departs for the sub-continent, which is a major boost given his quality with both ball and bat."

England begin their campaign against the Netherlands on 22nd February before they also play India, Ireland, South Africa, Bangladesh and the West Indies.

England World Cup squad: Andrew Strauss (captain), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Matthew Prior, Ajmal Shahzad, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy

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