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England opt for Finn to replace Woakes

Host nation forced into injury change with tall right-armer Steven Finn brought in ahead of New Zealand clash

England have called up Steven Finn to replace the injured Chris Woakes for the remainder of their Champions Trophy campaign.

Woakes was ruled out after he picked up a side strain in Thursday's opening match against Bangladesh at The Oval.

Early England blow as Woakes suffers side strain

He managed just two overs with the new ball against the Tigers before leaving the field, playing no further part in the match.

Finn proved his fitness yesterday with the England Lions in their thumping win against South Africa A in a List A match.

Finn picked up 2-49 in 8.3 overs as the Lions completed a 144-run win.

England stroll to first-up win over Bangladesh

The tall right-armer, once deemed "unselectable" by England during the 2013-14 Ashes summer, Finn comes in ahead of Stuart Broad, whose cause was championed by former England captain Nasser Hussain, and Toby Roland-Jones.

New Zealand's former captain Brendon McCullum criticised England's team balance in their opening win against Bangladesh, saying they missed  a trick by playing seamer Jake Ball ahead of leg-spinner Adil Rashid.

Rashid, with 60 ODI scalps, is England's leading wicket taker, and the second most prolific wicket-taker in world cricket, since the 2015 World Cup.

England face New Zealand in Cardiff for their next match on Tuesday, before a semi-final qualification showdown looms with Australia at The Oval next Saturday.

The hosts' commanding eight-wicket victory in their opening match was thanks to a terrific ton from Joe Root, who himself was hobbled after appearing to roll his ankle while batting.

Skipper Eoin Morgan however insisted Root hadn't been in a great deal of pain.

"Joe is all right," Morgan told reporters after play.

"He wasn't in extreme pain. It was manageable.

"Given that we have four days between now and the next game, hopefully he'll rest up well and be fully fit."


Champions Trophy 2017 Guide

Squads: Every Champions Trophy nation


Schedule


1 June – England beat Bangladesh by eight wickets

2 June – New Zealand v Australia, No Result

3 June – Sri Lanka lost to South Africa by 96 runs

4 June – India v Pakistan, Edgbaston (D)

5 June – Australia v Bangladesh, The Oval (D/N)

6 June – England v New Zealand, Cardiff (D)

7 June – Pakistan v South Africa, Edgbaston (D/N)

8 June – India v Sri Lanka, The Oval (D)

9 June – New Zealand v Bangladesh, Cardiff (D)

10 June – England v Australia, Edgbaston (D)

11 June – India v South Africa, The Oval (D)

12 June – Sri Lanka v Pakistan, Cardiff (D)

14 June – First semi-final (A1 v B2), Cardiff (D)

15 June – Second semi-final (A2 v B1), Edgbaston (D)

18 June – Final, The Oval (D)


19 June – Reserve day (D)