Stokes fitness boost but Wood, Finn to miss out

England look set to be boosted by the availability of Ben Stokes for the tour of South Africa.

Stokes injured his collarbone on the first day of the third Test against Pakistan in Sharjah as he landed heavily attempting an outrageous catch. At first it was feared he may have fractured his right shoulder, but scans indicated the injury was not as bad as had been thought.

That mishap came only 18 days ago, but he has subsequently made good progress and has been declared available for selection for the four-Test tour.

While Stokes is unlikely to have recovered full fitness by the time the warm-up matches for the South Africa tour start on December 15, such is his importance in balancing the team that he is likely to be included in the squad with a view to playing a part later in the Test series.

But while there is encouraging news over Stokes, it seems that neither Steven Finn or Mark Wood will be available for inclusion in the Test squad which will be named on Thursday, a blow for England considering the likely emphasis on pace bowling in the series.

Wood has a long term ankle injury, while Finn has a "stress reaction" - an early warning of a potential stress fracture - in his left foot.

Their absence offers opportunity for other seamers. Chris Jordan, who replaced Finn in the squad in the UAE, Chris Woakes, who has made an impressive return to the ODI squad after injury, Liam Plunkett, who has been in the UAE without playing, and Mark Footitt, who offers left arm variation, are all vying to support James Anderson and Stuart Broad. At least three of them are likely to travel.

With spin set to play a lesser role in South Africa, Moeen Ali is likely to be the only slow bowler in the team. Adil Rashid should travel in support, although thought will also have been given to including Zafar Ansari in his place.

Jonny Bairstow looks set to win a decent run in the side as wicketkeeper, with Jos Buttler now in the role of understudy. While Buttler may benefit from some time in the nets on the tour, he may well benefit more if he were playing first-class cricket elsewhere in the world.

Equally, if he has a future as a Test player, he may be better served spending the first few weeks of the English domestic season learning the craft of first-class batting for Lancashire rather than appearing in the IPL, not a view shared, judging by his recent comments, by the director of England cricket, Andrew Strauss.

It is the position of opening partner to Alastair Cook that will have most occupied the minds of the selectors. While Alex Hales' inclusion is almost certain, there may be a need for reserves on a tour against an excellent seam attack and likely to be played on some pitches offering them some assistance. For that reason, both Adam Lyth and Nick Compton will have been considered with Moeen certain to move back down the order.

While the recall of Lyth may seem odd so soon after he was dropped, there is a sense within the England camp that the mental break he has had will have done him good and that, in the long term, he remains a player of international calibre.

Another man likely to win a recall is Gary Ballance. While he was dropped two Tests into the Ashes - slightly harshly given his contribution in the first of them - Ballance had become the third fastest England batsmen to 1,000 Test runs in history earlier this year. He did not enjoy an especially prolific return to county cricket, but he remains part of the long term plans of the team and could bat anywhere from three to six as required.

Possible England squad: Alastair Cook, Alex Hales, Adam Lyth, Gary Ballance, Ian Bell, Joe Root, James Taylor, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Chris Woakes.