Willey to rejoin ODI squad despite injury

Yorkshire's allrounder David Willey will rejoin the England ODI squad later this week after an injury to his left hand was found to be less serious than first feared.

Willey was struck on the hand in his follow through by a fierce drive from Durham's Mark Stoneman while bowling in Yorkshire's NatWest T20 Blast semi-final on Saturday. He continued to play a full part in the game, finishing his overs and opening the batting with his hand tightly strapped, but was initially ruled out of the one-day series against Pakistan after scans on Sunday.

However, it has now been confirmed that Willey only suffered bruising, rather than any kind of break, and he will link up with the England squad after Wednesday's first ODI at the Ageas Bowl.

Good news! No serious damage so I'll be back as soon as the swelling goes! @SkyCricket @YorkshireCCC @englandcricket pic.twitter.com/M8jt2pGuB0

— David Willey (@david_willey) August 22, 2016

An England spokesman said: "On further review today, David Willey has been cleared of a fracture to his left hand and he will rejoin England's ODI squad on Thursday. His progress will be monitored by the medical team during the series."

Willey had tweeted on Sunday evening that he still hoped to play a part in the series and he followed that up with a picture of the bruising on Monday, adding: "Good news! No serious damage so I'll be back as soon as the swelling goes!"

Willey's commitment to the cause was not enough to get Yorkshire through to the NatWest Blast final but England will doubtless be happy to have him available, as well as relieved that his fighting spirit did not result in greater damage. Jake Ball, who was called up as cover, will remain with the squad.

England also have a slight concern over the fitness of Stuart Broad, who also played on Finals Day but is not part of the limited-overs squads. Broad will undergo a scan on his left ankle on Tuesday and has been withdrawn from Nottinghamshire's Championship squad for their match against Yorkshire at Scarborough.

Alastair Cook, England's Test captain, has meanwhile been made available to play in Essex's next two Championship matches, against Leicestershire and Worcestershire.