Bairstow gets the call as pace prospect Meaker replaces Anderson

YORKSHIRE wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow has been selected for his first senior England tour.

He joins county team-mate and strike bowler Tim Bresnan in the squad for the one-day series against India next month.

Joining the pair will be uncapped Surrey paceman Stuart Meaker, who is celebrating a “dream come true” after being called up in place of the rested James Anderson.

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Kevin Pietersen, who has not played for England since August 31 after being rested for the one-day series against India and the season-ending Twenty20 fixtures against the West Indies, is back in the squad.

The key factors in his recall were his full central contract and team director Andy Flower’s eagerness to get his key players some exposure to sub-continental conditions in advance of next year’s World Twenty20 defence in Sri Lanka.

Anderson is unlikely to regret being rested as his record is modest in India and pitches there are far from ideal for his swing bowling.

Replacement Meaker, 22, has never made a full England squad but is reckoned to be one of the fastest bowlers on the domestic circuit. He has been involved with the ECB fast bowling programme and Lions squad before and was asked to come to England nets last week to be assessed by the coaching staff.

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Meaker, who adds another South Africa-born name to the England ranks, said: “This is a very proud day for me. It’s something I’ve worked my whole life to achieve. It’s a proud day for my family and for the club, too.

“This is something I’ve been looking forward to since first playing for Surrey as a young man and I’ve been looking forward to making this dream come true.”

He continued: “I’ve been lucky enough to be involved in the ECB skill sets in the past, as well as the development tours they send people on and I’ve also been lucky enough to be involved with the England Lions in the summer.

“I wasn’t expecting this so soon but it was definitely in my sights at some point in the future. It’s just come sooner than I thought.”

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Durham leg-spinner Scott Borthwick, who, like Bairstow, made an impressive bow for England this summer, has also been picked for his first senior trip, while Warwickshire seamer Chris Woakes is also included despite falling down the pecking order.

Alastair Cook captains the one-day squad as they look to build on the home series wins against Sri Lanka and the Indians achieved since he replaced Andrew Strauss at the start of the summer.

England squad for five one-day matches: A Cook (Essex, capt), J Bairstow (Yorkshire), I Bell (Warwicks), R Bopara (Essex), S Borthwick (Durham), T Bresnan (Yorkshire), J Dernbach (Surrey), S Finn (Middlesex), C Kieswetter (Somerset), S Meaker (Surrey), S Patel (Notts), K Pietersen (Surrey), G Swann (Notts), J Trott (Warwicks), C Woakes (Warwicks). J Buttler (Somerset) and A Hales (Notts) join squad for a Twenty20 fixture.