Gough: 'I never gave up hope'

Darren Gough insists he never gave up hope of earning a recall to England's one-day side, and has now set his sights on completing the double of 200 wickets in both forms of the game.

"I'm just looking forward to being back among the lads again," Gough told the Essex website, after being named in England's squad for the seven-match series against West Indies that follows the Tests. "I just want to play international cricket again, because I think I still have a lot to offer. You never give up hope. As long as I'm fit then I still believe I am good enough."

Gough's future had been in doubt when he was omitted from the one-day squad for the pre-Christmas trips to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, but after sizing up their options the selectors realised there was no substitute for experience. "They looked at other players," said Gough, "but I guess it's flattering that they have come back to me for the West Indies series."

He went on: "If some of the youngsters can follow my lead in practice then I believe that will help them in the long run - that's one of the reasons why they want me around the team. But from a selfish point of view I want to get 12 wickets to reach 200 [in one-day internationals]."

Joining Gough in the one-day squad is Steve Harmison, whose stunning form in the Jamaica and Trinidad Tests virtually guaranteed his inclusion. He hopes to be able to make an impact this time around, after a stuttering start to his one-day career in Australia last winter, where he infamously bowled seven wides in an over in a warm-up match in Lilac Hill.

"It would be nice to get rid of what happened in Australia and prove I can play one-day cricket," he said. "But I'm going to take one step at a time and hopefully things will go as well as the Test matches."