Monday 30 January 2017 12:54, UK
Mark Wood has been added to the England Lions squad for the one-day series against Sri Lanka A in March, as part of his return to cricket after an ankle operation last autumn.
Northamptonshire left-arm spinner, Graeme White, has also been added to the original squad that was announced in December.
Wood - who has played in eight Tests, 11 ODIs and one T20I for England - last played cricket in September, a first-class game for Durham against Surrey, and is currently in South Africa with England's Pace Programme.
Both Wood and White had already been included in the North squad for the three-match 50-over series against a South team in Dubai and Abu Dhabi that will follow the Lions' one-day series in Sri Lanka.
James Whitaker, England cricket's National Selector, said: "We believe these selections will work well both for the Lions and for the players involved.
"Mark Wood will be a valuable addition to the Lions squad, and in his case, Sri Lanka is a good opportunity for him to start bowling again in competitive cricket before the North-South series and then the domestic 2017 season.
"And we had always been planning to add a left-arm spinner to the 14-player squad named last month, and Graeme White deserves this chance after his performances for Northamptonshire in county cricket last summer which had already earned him a place in the North team through the PCA's Most Valuable Player rankings.
The 15-man squad for the two four-day matches against Sri Lanka A in Kandy and Dambulla, which will precede the one-day series is still to be finalised.
That squad will leave for Colombo on Monday, February 6, while the six players who have been selected for the one-day leg of the tour only - Daniel Bell-Drummond, Ben Duckett, James Fuller, Josh Poysden, White and Wood - will join up later in the month, in Dambulla.
England Lions squads for Sri Lanka tour, February 6 - March 13
Four-day squad: K Jennings (Durham, capt), H Hameed (Lancashire), N Gubbins (Middlesex), T Alsop (Hampshire), T Westley (Essex), J Clarke (Worcestershire), L Livingstone (Lancashire), B Foakes (Surrey), S Curran (Surrey), T Curran (Surrey), T Roland-Jones (Middlesex), T Helm (Middlesex), C Overton (Somerset), O Rayner (Middlesex), J Leach (Somerset).
One-day squad: K Jennings (Durham, capt), D Bell-Drummond (Kent), T Alsop (Hampshire), B Duckett (Northamptonshire), J Clarke (Worcestershire), L Livingstone (Lancashire), B Foakes (Surrey), S Curran (Surrey), T Curran (Surrey), C Overton (Somerset), T Helm (Middlesex), J Fuller (Middlesex), O Rayner (Middlesex), J Poysden (Warwickshire), G White (Northamptonshire), M Wood (Durham).
Four-day Itinerary
February 12-14: Warm-up game (venue tbc)
February 17-20: v Sri Lanka A (Pallekele)
February 24-27: v Sri Lanka A (Dambulla)
One-day Itinerary
March 2: v Sri Lanka A (Dambulla)
March 4: v Sri Lanka A (Dambulla)
March 6: v Sri Lanka A (Kurunegala)
March 9: v Sri Lanka A (Colombo)
March 11: v Sri Lanka A (Colombo)
North v South series Itinerary
March 17: Dubai
March 19: Dubai
March 21: Abu Dhabi
