England call up Croft and Brown for Sri Lanka

England's cricket selectors today named a 15-man Test squad and a 15-man One-Day Squad for the three Tests and three One-Day-Internationals in Sri Lanka in the New Year.

The uncapped Northants off-spinner, Jason Brown, who took 61 First-Class wickets for his county last season and the Glamorgan off-spinner, Robert Croft, are both included in the Test squad.

Croft, who played two Tests against West Indies last summer, has also been included in the One-Day squad.

Dominic Cork and Ian Salisbury are both omitted from the squad that won the Test series in Pakistan 1-0.

Cork, who flew home from Lahore in November with a back injury, has been advised to rest for three months, but is expected to be fit for the start of the next domestic season.

Jason Brown will fly out to the Caribbean on December 28 for the England 'A' tour of the West Indies before joining up with the senior squad on January 30 for the Sri Lanka tour. His replacement for the remainder of the 'A' tour will be his County colleague, Graeme Swann.

Alan Mullally, who missed the ODI series in Pakistan and the ICC Trophy in Kenya with a rib injury, will undergo a fitness test before going to Sri Lanka with the One-Day squad. If he is not passed fit, he will be replaced by Matthew Hoggard.

Announcing the squad, Chairman of Selectors, David Graveney said: "We believe that we need three 'out and out' slow bowlers for the tour to Sri Lanka as the wickets will suit finger spin and the conditions will be very hot and humid.

"Ian Salisbury played a full part as a member of our victorious side in Pakistan and while the door is certainly not closed on him for the future, we felt that he had a difficult time with the ball on tour and we needed to look at other options."

Commenting on his recall to the squad, Robert Croft said: "I've just been coming to the end of my Benefit Year and was intending to spend the winter doing some fitness work and getting into the nets.

"So this is fantastic news and it's an opportunity that I intend to grab with both hands. I've never been to Sri Lanka before but everybody I've spoken to tells me that the heat is ferocious and that the batsmen will be aggressive.

"I'm sure there will be plenty of wickets to be taken and I'm looking forward to being part of an England squad again and hope that I can make the starting XI for both the Tests and the One-Dayers."

Full squad lists attached.

For further information contact:

Andrew Walpole, ECB Media Relations Manager - 0207 4321252/ 0385 527102.

ENGLAND TOUR TO SRI LANKA 2001

TEST SQUAD

• N Hussain (Captain) 28-03-68 Essex
• M A Atherton 23-03-68 Lancashire
• J F Brown 10-10-74 Northamptonshire
• A R Caddick 21-11-68 Somerset
• R D B Croft 25-05-70 Glamorgan
• A F Giles 19-03-73 Warwickshire
• D Gough 18-09-70 Yorkshire
• G A Hick 23-05-66 Worcestershire
• M J Hoggard 31-12-76 Yorkshire
• P A Nixon 21-10-70 Kent
• A J Stewart 08-04-63 Surrey
• M E Trescothick 25-12-75 Somerset
• G P Thorpe 01-08-69 Surrey
• M P Vaughan 29-10-74 Yorkshire
• C White 16-12-69 Yorkshire

• D Fletcher - Head Coach
• P A Neale - Operations Manager
• R M H Cottam - Assistant Coach
• D Conway - Physiotherapist
• N Stockill - Physiologist
• M Ashton - Scorer
• A Walpole - Media Relations Manager

ENGLAND TOUR TO SRI LANKA 2001

ONE DAY SQUAD

• N Hussain (Captain) 28-03-68 Essex
• M W Alleyne 23-05-68 Gloucestershire
• A R Caddick 21-11-68 Somerset
• R D B Croft 25-05-70 Glamorgan
• M A Ealham 27-08-69 Kent
• A Flintoff 06-12-77 Lancashire
• A F Giles 19-03-73 Warwickshire
• D Gough 18-09-70 Yorkshire
• G A Hick 23-05-66 Worcestershire
• N V Knight 28-11-69 Warwickshire
• A D Mullally 12-07-69 Hampshire
• A J Stewart 08-04-63 Surrey
• M E Trescothick 25-12-75 Somerset
• G P Thorpe 01-08-69 Surrey
• C White 16-12-69 Yorkshire

• D Fletcher - Head Coach
• P A Neale - Operations Manager
• M D Moxon - Assistant Coach
• D Conway - Physiotherapist
• N Stockill - Physiologist
• M Hodgson - Media Relations Manager
• M Ashton - Scorer