England set to make Finn call
ENGLAND were last night sweating on the fitness of fast bowler Steven Finn as World Cup preparations intensify today with the first clash in a seven-match series against Sri Lanka in Colombo.
The Middlesex seamer has been struggling since Sunday with a groin injury sustained in the training session that replaced his side’s second warm-up clash with Sri Lanka A, which was abandoned due to heavy rain.
Finn is the most experienced pace bowler available to England coach Peter Moores in the enforced absence of James Anderson and Stuart Broad through injury.
Nottinghamshire left-armer Harry Gurney did not feature in England’s sole preparation match ahead of today’s opening one-day international but is set to be thrust into action should Finn fail to recover. “Finny’s just pulled up with a little bit of a niggle from that training session we did on that washed-out day,” said England skipper Alastair Cook. “He’ll go through the usual assessment.”