Steven Finn could yet force his way into England’s Test plans for South Africa and will step up his return from a foot injury on Friday with his first bowl in more than two months.
The fast bowler missed the 2-0 Test series defeat to Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in October after suffering the early signs of a stress fracture to his left foot during a warm-up match, and was subsequently not included in England’s 16-man touring party for their second overseas trip of the winter.
But the 26-year-old, who spent part of his rehabilitation with the Premier League club Watford before returning to the UAE to join the England Lions, is understood to be privately targeting a return to full fitness before the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town, which starts on 2 January.
First Finn will get the chance to test out his injury for the Lions in Friday’s third Twenty20 against Pakistan A, the second of back-to-back matches in Dubai. Mick Newell, one of the four England selectors, joined the squad this week and will be able to report on the Middlesex seamer’s progress to the head coach, Trevor Bayliss.
“A few things were said when I wasn’t in the [South Africa] squad about me being done for the tour, but I’m determined for that not to be the case,” Finn told the England and Wales Cricket Board’s website before his competitive comeback against Pakistan A. “When you’re injured you always want to get back as early as you can but you don’t want to push it to a point where you make the injury even worse. So we’ve been sensible.
“But I’ve had two and a half months now of not playing cricket and I think it’s come to a point now where I can start being realistic about going out to South Africa and hopefully playing a part over there.
“It’s handy to be able to come out here and have a bridge between the rehab in England to hopefully going out to South Africa.”
England fly to South Africa on Thursday evening and play two warm-up matches in Potchefstroom and Pietermaritzburg before the first Test in Durban on Boxing Day. A fit-again Finn could join the squad directly after the fifth T20 with Pakistan A on 16 December and from there would compete for the third seamer role with Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan and Mark Footitt.
