Craig Kieswetter and Samit Patel recalled for England ODIs
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Your support makes all the difference.Craig Kieswetter and Samit Patel were both recalled to England's limited-overs squads this morning, for the forthcoming fixtures against Sri Lanka.
Wicketkeeper Kieswetter replaces Matt Prior, from England's World Cup campaign, and - like Nottinghamshire all-rounder Patel - is named in the squads both for the one-off NatWest Twenty20 at Bristol on Saturday and the following five-match one-day international series.
There is no place in either squad for veteran all-rounder Paul Collingwood, who retired from Test cricket at the start of this year and only recently returned to form and fitness after his knee injury.
Somerset's Kieswetter, a hard-hitting batting option at the top of the order, has been preferred to Surrey's Steve Davies with the gloves.
Twenty-six-year-old Patel has finally come back in from the cold, having not played for England since his 11th ODI cap in November 2008 and been urged on more than one occasion to improve his general fitness levels in order to be considered again.
National selector Geoff Miller said: "Samit Patel has taken significant steps in the right direction and he has more hard work ahead in order to make further progress.
"Samit is one of a number of players, like Craig Kieswetter, who comes back into the limited-overs set-up on the back of some excellent form and plenty of hard work."
Patel's ability as a second spinner, to complement Graeme Swann, is a very useful commodity for England in the shorter formats.
ICC World Twenty20 winner Kieswetter was dropped after losing form last summer, but has been back in the runs at county level this season.
"Craig has been in exciting form for Somerset so far this year - and while Matt Prior has been outstanding in the Test team, we believe Craig will offer some real firepower with the bat along with his ability with the gloves," added Miller.
The national selector also explained the omission of Collingwood, which will not have come as a surprise to many at this stage of the Durham player's career.
"Paul Collingwood has been an inspirational limited-overs cricketer for England over many years, and we still see a role for him in this capacity based on form and fitness," said Miller.
"His omission is purely down to form over a period of time, and we look forward to him getting plenty of cricket under his belt for Durham as he presses to reclaim a place in the England limited-overs set-up.
"He has always brought a great deal to the England team, and we know he'll be working as hard as ever to reach peak form and fitness - with an England recall firmly in the forefront of his mind."
England's new Twenty20 captain Stuart Broad is expected to be fit to lead his country for the first time, despite a minor last-minute scare when he had to spend some time off the field because of a bruised heel on the final day of the third npower Test at the Rose Bowl.
"The Twenty20 squad will obviously be led by Stuart Broad, who is extremely excited by the prospect of captaining his country in such a dynamic form of the game," said Miller.
"Stuart has a young and powerful side at his disposal and will be looking to build a team for the next World Twenty20 tournament, where England will obviously be defending world champions.
"We're hugely excited by this NatWest Series, which represents a new beginning in England's limited-overs cricket under the leadership of Alastair Cook.
"After the recent World Cup, which was a natural watershed, we'll be looking to play an exciting brand of limited-overs cricket against one of the best one-day sides in the world in Sri Lanka."
Uncapped Surrey seamer Jade Dernbach's inclusion in both squads was widely anticipated.
There is no place for Test and ODI pace spearhead James Anderson for Saturday's match in the shortest format.
But Steven Finn, yet to play Test cricket this year, is in the reckoning for both 50 and 20-over fixtures.
Fit-again Warwickshire all-rounder Chris Woakes has been chosen in both formats, having impressed at the start of the year in Australia - while Yorkshire pair Ajmal Shahzad and Tim Bresnan are still coming back after injury.
Ravi Bopara, edged out by Eoin Morgan in the Test series just concluded against Sri Lanka, is in both squads. But there is no place yet for emerging Leicestershire batsman James Taylor.
Chris Tremlett appears to have been given a rest after his Test exertions, with India due to arrive later this summer - while his former Hampshire team-mate Michael Lumb has been given another opportunity as a Twenty20 specialist.
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