England have been allowed to delay naming their 14-man squad for the Champions Trophy by the International Cricket Council.
All the nations competing in next month’s tournament in India, which is regarded as a mini-World Cup, were required to declare their squads to the ICC by Thursday of this week.
But after a series of injuries, which have sidelined players such as Steve Harmison and Darren Gough for the current NatWest series against Pakistan, England asked for and were granted an extension by the world’s governing body.
“We’re extremely grateful to ICC for this concession,” said David Graveney, the chairman of selectors .
“We have collected injuries during this NatWest series and we will now have more time to evaluate some of the replacements.”
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The extension will allow England to delay the announcement of their squad until after the end of the series, which finishes at Edgbaston on Sunday.
The selectors can now get a better evaluation of several key members of their potential squad including Andrew Flintoff, the all-rounder, who is undergoing warm-weather training in Portugal.
Harmison, the fast bowler who withdrew from the NatWest series with back trouble, will also be given further tests although Gough has already been ruled out of England’s plans after suffering a stress fracture of his left shin, which has sidelined him for the next six weeks.
England are due to face Australia and India during the tournament, which begins on October 7, with the tournament finishing with the final in Mumbai on November 5.