Boyd Rankin called up by England to cover injuries

Former Ireland opening bowler Boyd Rankin has been called up by England for their NatWest Series one-day squad following injuries to Stuart Broad and Steven Finn.

The 28-year-old from Derry played 82 games for Ireland, including the World Cups in 2007 and 2011, before retiring at the end of last year’s World Twenty20 in a bid to further his ambitions of playing Test cricket.

The 6ft 8in Warwickshire player made England Lions debut back in 2011 and was subsequently selected on the England Performance Programme.

Broad and Finn were unfit for today’s first one-day international against New Zealand at Lord’s, because of respective knee and shin niggles, and have also already been ruled out of Sunday’s second match in Southampton.

Rankin will join a squad, for the second and third matches of this short series, in which England have already called up Jade Dernbach – initially as cover for Tim Bresnan, whose wife is due to give birth soon. Both Dernbach and Bresnan played against New Zealand today.