Liam Plunkett called up as cover

After being hit by a spate of injuries, England have called up Durham fast bowler Liam Plunkett as cover for the first two one-dayers in South Africa.

A growing injury list which includes three first-choice bowlers - Graeme Swann (rib), James Anderson (knee) and Stuart Broad (shoulder) - and two senior batsmen, Paul Collingwood and Alastair Cook (both with back complaints), forced England to use bowling coach Ottis Gibson as a fielder briefly during the warm-up match against South Africa A in Potchefstroom on Tuesday.

Plunkett, who was already part of the Test squad, will fly out to join the limited-overs squad on Wednesday. It has been more than two years since he played an ODI; the last of his 27 England appearances was against West Indies in Nottingham in July 2007. He had a successful first-class season but was less effective in the domestic one-dayers, taking 14 wickets at 39.07 in 16 outings for Durham.

England play the first of their five one-dayers against South Africa on Friday in Johannesburg.