Thursday 24 September 2015 10:47, UK
Samit Patel has been called into the England Test squad to face Pakistan in place of Surrey’s Zafar Ansari.
Ansari has been ruled out of the Tour by an injury he suffered on the same day he was named in the Test squad for the first time.
The 23-year-old dislocated his left thumb during last week's Division Two match with Lancashire and was advised by medical experts on Wednesday that he would have to miss the tour, which will take place in the UAE.
A decision on his participation in the EPP and Lions tours of UAE will be made in due course.
Nottinghamshire's Patel - like Ansari a spin-bowling all-rounder - was a member of the England squad which won a Test series in India for the first time since 1984/85 in 2012.
The 30-year-old also toured Sri Lanka with England earlier in the same year and has five Test caps.
Patel told Sky Sports News HQ: "I'm surprised, really. It's pretty unfortunate what's happened to Zafar, but I'm thrilled to bits.
"I've got to try to make the most of it when I'm out there. I've not had the best of years, but we'll have to move on from that and I'll have to make the most of the opportunity."
National Selector James Whitaker said: "The timing of this injury, on the day his selection was announced, was particularly cruel for Zafar and he is naturally extremely disappointed to have to pull out of the tour.
"The ECB and Surrey medical staff will supervise his rehabilitation closely and we all hope that he will be able to take up his place in the EPP and Lions squads for their trips to UAE later in the year.
"As a left-arm spinner and a middle-order batsman, Samit is a similar type of player to Zafar and his previous international experience, and in particular, experience of performing for England in sub-continental conditions will be an extremely useful asset to the squad in the UAE."
England's tour of the UAE to play Pakistan is live on Sky Sports, starting with the opening Test, in Abu Dhabi, on Tuesday, October 13.
