South Africa vs England: Liam Plunkett called up as Steven Finn misses rest of tour with injury

Finn picked up a side strain on the second day of the third Test at the Wanderers

Yorkshire and England right-arm seamer Liam Plunkett (Getty Images)

Steven Finn will miss the fourth Test starting on Friday and the rest of the South Africa tour because of a side strain. He felt discomfort during the second day of the third Test at the Wanderers, where England clinched the series, and scans have shown that he has a left side strain.

It is the sort of injury that is an occupational hazard for fast bowlers and Finn will need to be sure it has cleared up entirely to meet his objective of being fit to return for the World Twenty20 in India in March. Until Stuart Broad’s startling contribution on Saturday afternoon, the general opinion was that Finn had been the most effective of England’s bowlers in the series.

The injury is the second he has suffered this winter. Finn had to leave the tour of the UAE early with a foot injury in October. Liam Plunkett, unlucky not to be selected initially, will replace Finn in the limited-overs squads here. He will fly from Dubai, where he has been training with England Lions for a series against Pakistan A.

“Cricket’s like that, isn’t it? You don’t know where you’re going to be next,” said Plunkett. “I was disappointed not to be in the squad in the first place, but I came back here with the Lions determined to play to my best and show I’m still ready if they need me.

“We’ve only played a warm-up game out here so far against the UAE, but I felt in pretty good rhythm straight away and clicked it up to a decent pace. From the end of last season I’ve pretty much been bowling all the time, and I just had a few weeks off in December.”

Finn, who will stay in South Africa for a week before returning home, will probably be replaced by Chris Woakes for the Test at Centurion. South Africa expanded their squad to 17 yesterday, adding Stephen Cook. He is likely to open the batting at the expense of Stiaan van Zyl, who has scored only 69 runs in five innings.