Wednesday 18 May 2016 14:03, UK
Steven Finn has beaten the uncapped Jake Ball for the final place in England's XI for the first Investec Test against Sri Lanka at Headingley, captain Alastair Cook has confirmed.
With England having selected just a 12-man squad, Cook took the unusual step of effectively naming his side 24 hours before the start of a match, with the first of a three-Test series against Sri Lanka due to get underway at Headingley.
"Steven Finn is going to play," Cook said. "He's been outstanding when he's been fit for us. I think everyone kind of knew that."
Finn missed the World Twenty20 in India earlier because of calf and side injuries and his Test career has been interrupted by fitness problems.
But his record of 113 Test wickets at an average of just over 28 apiece saw him chosen ahead of Nottinghamshire fast bowler Ball in the race to be England's third seamer behind James Anderson and Stuart Broad.
Ball has made a strong start to the county season and Cook said: "It was great to have Jake along and he has made a big impact this year in county cricket.
"It's great for the guys who haven't really seen much of him to get to know the guy and he can certainly bowl."
England will though give a debut to James Vince, with the Hampshire batsman filling the vacancy caused by James Taylor's retirement with a heart condition.
Cook has the opportunity to create history in Leeds this week, needing just 36 more runs to become the first Englishman to reach the 10,000-barrier and just the 12th overall.
He said: "It would mean a lot and hopefully I can get there sooner rather than later so we can talk about something else. It's a big milestone in terms of the people who have done it previously so it would be great to try and score these 36 runs.
"I've just got to put that to bed after this press conference and try and do what I've done in the previous 10 years, which is just try and concentrate on that ball coming down and nothing else."
Sri Lanka are still adjusting to life without star batsmen Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, with the pair accruing more than 24,000 runs in Test cricket.
Cook added: "They're irreplaceable but sides move on and evolve. Sri Lanka have got a history of punching above their weight and are really, really competitive, no matter what's gone before."
England: Alastair Cook (capt), Alex Hales, Nick Compton, Joe Root, James Vince, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow (wkt), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, James Anderson
