Durham bowler Mark Wood selected for North-South series
Saturday 17 December 2016 10:24, UK
Durham bowler Mark Wood has been selected for the inaugural North-South series in the UAE in March.
Wood, 26, was named in an official ECB statement by national selector James Whitaker and his selection completes a remarkable recovery for the right-arm fast bowler, who has undergone three ankle operations in the space of a year.
In addition, the ECB has announced that Wood's Durham teammate Keaton Jennings and Hampshire's James Vince will be the respective captains for the series.
Elsewhere, Steven Finn and Ben Duckett will be given an opportunity to impress on the one-day scene.
Hampshire skipper Vince has been selected to captain the South side and since May 2015 has lined out for England on the one-day circuit on 10 occasions.
Hampshire team-mates Tom Alsop, Liam Dawson and 19-year-old leg-spinner Mason Crane have also been selected.
Middlesex fast-bowler Finn is selected despite failing to appear in ODI internationals for England since September 2015, with the experienced 27-year-old handed the chance to lead the South attack.
"For all the players selected, the North versus South series is a platform to make an impression," said Whitaker.
"As Andrew Strauss said when he introduced the series before the start of the 2016 season, we see it as an important addition to our selection process in 50-over cricket, ahead of the two major global events we are staging over the next three summers - the Champions Trophy next year, and the World Cup in 2019.
"With the calibre of the squads we have selected, we are confident there will be an intense and high-quality level of competition that allows us to assess players who are currently just outside the England squad, and their ability to perform at that higher level.
"The teams will be led by two members of the senior England coaching staff - Paul Farbrace with the South, and Ottis Gibson with the North. They were both involved in the selection process, and the England head coach Trevor Bayliss will be attending the matches with me next March.
"We also wanted to use this series as an opportunity to see some other players who have shown potential in the county game."
The three-test North-South series is due to kick off on March 17 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium before a second test in Dubai on March 19 and a final match at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on March 21.
Squads for North versus South series, March 2017
North: K Jennings (Durham, capt), B Duckett (Northamptonshire Steelbacks*), S Hain (Warwickshire), J Clarke (Worcestershire Rapids, wk), L Livingstone (Lancashire Lightning), J Leaning (Yorkshire Vikings), T Bresnan (Yorkshire Vikings*), J Poysden (Warwickshire), G White (Northamptonshire Steelbacks*), M Wood (Durham), S Mahmood (Lancashire Lightning), R Gleeson (Northamptonshire Steelbacks), H Gurney (Notts Outlaws*).
South: J Vince (Hampshire, capt), D Bell-Drummond (Kent Spitfires), T Alsop (Hampshire), D Malan (Middlesex), S Northeast (Kent Spitfires), L Dawson (Hampshire*), B Foakes (Surrey, wk), T Curran (Surrey), L Gregory (Somerset*), T Groenewald (Somerset*), M Coles (Kent Spitfires*), S Finn (Middlesex), M Crane (Hampshire).
* - automatic selection through position in Professional Cricketers' Association's Most Valuable Player rankings for the 2016 Royal London One-Day Cup.
