England reassembled today in Cardiff ahead of their second match in the Champions Trophy, against New Zealand on Tuesday, but, understandably, their thoughts were with those caught up in the terrible terror attack in London last night.
“We are all very sad and touched by what happened. It is at the forefront of everyone’s mind and we are very sorry about what happened,” said Steven Finn. “We send our condolences to all those affected by it.”
“It is a sorry state of affairs. But we will keep playing cricket and be defiant in the face of itSteven Finn
Finn, though, was adamant that the show should go on, as it did for Pakistan against India in Birmingham yesterday.
“It is a sorry state of affairs,” he said. “But we will keep playing cricket and be defiant in the face of it and hopefully put a smile on people’s faces here on Tuesday.
“We are fully supportive of the security plans that are in place. We have been briefed on how we are going to be protected. So we are very comfortable that there is a ring of steel around us so that everyone who is in the ground will be safe. As long as our minds are at ease with that we will be all right to play cricket.
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“We toured Bangladesh last year under very tight security and were looked after very well. This tournament will be no different.”
Steve Smith, Australia’s captain whose team play Bangladesh at the Oval tomorrow in London, reiterated that sentiment.
“We’ve been briefed by our security team, and they are comfortable with where security is at,” he said. “And for us, it’s about just being diligent with everything that we do and continuing the tournament as usual.”
While many were at home, some of the England squad were staying in a hotel near Tower Bridge, less than half a mile from the attack, and star all-rounder Ben Stokes was dining in Leicester Square.
“Ben struggled to get back to the hotel because of the roads being cordoned off,” said Finn. “But as far as I am aware no one else was affected or involved. Everyone in our squad was fine.”
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Liam Plunkett and Mark Wood were, though, unable to retrieve their cars from the cordoned-off area today, meaning that they took a bus with some management to training in Cardiff ahead of Tuesday’s match.
Finn was confirmed as a replacement for the injured Chris Woakes this morning and spoke for the rest of the squad when he said: “We are all very sad and touched by what happened. It is at the forefront of everyone’s mind and we are very sorry about what happened. We send our condolences to all those affected by it.”
Meanwhile, Finn revealed that it was a minor back problem that delayed England’s naming of him as a replacement, as much as selectors James Whitaker and Mick Newell monitoring how he was bowling for England Lions against South Africa A at Northampton yesterday.
“I had a bit of a stiff back in the Lions game at Nottingham on Thursday so it was just a case of making sure my back was 100%,” he said. “It was a result of doing a bit of travel and bowling on top of each other in the last few days.
“It was a little bit like being on trial on Saturday but I think it was mixture of seeing my fitness and how I was bowling. If I had bowled a big pile of garbage then I wouldn’t be stood here now!”
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There was no disguising his delight at the summons, however.
“I’ve been on the periphery for a little while so to have got an opportunity is obviously very sad for Chris Woakes, who is a good friend of mine, but I am glad that I have got the call,” he said. “It is awesome to get the call to represent your country in a major tournament, especially with the momentum the guys got from the win against Bangladesh.”
Such are England’s concerns about their seam bowling attack, as well as a reluctance to play two spinners at Cardiff with its short straight boundaries, that Finn could be plunged into the starting line up on Tuesday.
“I think I’ve got a good record in one-day cricket,” he said. “I am slightly taller than the other guys and can therefore get a bit more bounce. I’ve played a lot of ODIs (69). There is experience there. I think we have got a really well balanced squad and hopefully my personal attributes can bring something to that.”
