England give Steve Finn more time
England will give injured pace bowler Steve Finn a couple more days before making a decision on whether to keep him in the Ashes touring squad, coach Trevor Bayliss said on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old quick, a 2010-11 and 2013-14 Ashes tourist, missed the opening tour match in Perth because of a knee injury and will also play no part in this weekтАЩs day-night match against a Cricket Australia XI at the Adelaide Oval.
All-rounder Moeen Ali, who has a side strain, will also miss both matches but Bayliss said he was on track to be available for a return to action in the tour match in Towsnville starting November 15.
тАЬFinn is still not right, we wonтАЩt know about him for another couple of days yet,тАЭ Bayliss told reporters in Adelaide on Tuesday.
тАЬMo Ali тАж more precautionary now, we will just leave him out of this one and make sure heтАЩs right.тАЭ
Finn came into the squad as a replacement for Ben Stokes after the all-rounder was suspended following his arrest on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm outside a nightclub.
Bayliss also responded to reports in the Australian media on Tuesday that said Stokes would soon face a England and Wales Cricket Board disciplinary hearing and could join the squad in time for the third test.
тАЬI havenтАЩt spoken (to anyone) or heard of anything since we have been here,тАЭ said Bayliss.
тАЬIf we concentrate on that, and wondering if he is coming or not, that might take the focus off what weтАЩre trying to achieve so we have just been going about preparing with the players we have got here.
тАЬIf he happens to turn up at some stage, itтАЩs a bonus. If he doesnтАЩt, bad luck, we will just get on with what we have got.тАЭ
ECB director of cricket Andrew Strauss said England were looking for тАЬclarityтАЭ over StokesтАЩs position. England begin their campaign to retain the Ashes at the Gabba in Brisbane on November 23.
