England call up spinner Mason Crane eight years after his solitary Test cap

Mason Crane has replaced Rehan Ahmed in England’s one-day squad for the tri-series in Pakistan and Jofra Archer has been rested

Nearly nine years on from his solitary Test cap in Sydney comes an England recall for Mason Crane. The leg-spinner has been named in England’s squad for the one-day international tri-series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka. England will fly to Islamabad on 15 October for a round-robin mini-tournament that serves as preparation for next year’s 50-over World Cup. The three teams play each other twice in the group stage, before the top two meet for the final at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on 31 October.

Jos Buttler will miss the trip due to his recent hamstring tear and Jofra Archer is being rested at the start of a busy winter. But there are returns for Adil Rashid and Sam Curran after injury and a spot for James Coles, while the most eye-catching move is Crane usurping Rehan Ahmed as the back-up wrist-spinner.

Ahmed struggled during the recent 2-1 victory over Sri Lanka and the all-rounder was dropped for the decider. Though primarily a bowler – and one who has matured in recent seasons – Crane has added a second string to his bow this summer, scoring two first-class centuries to go with 51 wickets in all formats.

Marcus North, England men’s national selector, said: “Mason Crane has been performing consistently for Glamorgan across both formats during the summer. He’s an experienced, high-class leg-spinner who thoroughly deserves another opportunity at international level.”

Jordan Cox is expected to keep wicket in Buttler’s absence, while no Archer brings in the uncapped Henry Crocombe after impressing for Sussex before his winter move to Surrey. It also means the 23-year-old Sonny Baker is likely to take the new ball, having claimed his maiden ODI wicket at the Oval last week.

Now a three-format England cricketer after his Test debut in June, and voted the Professional Cricketers’ Association’s young player of the year by his peers, Baker is hoping a tour of Pakistan will deepen his understanding of reverse swing in the art-form’s spiritual home.

“One of the biggest things I’m trying to do for the rest of my career is to break it down into segments,” said Baker at the PCA Awards in association with Toyota. “During this next period of time, what am I focusing on? What am I trying to get out of it?

“In Pakistan it would be reverse-swing, trying to bang my yorkers, and learn about executing skills in those conditions. Pakistan is not somewhere I’ve been before. I’m really looking forward to that – particularly reverse swing, I think it caters to my action quite nicely.”

Reverse is certainly coming back into ODI cricket after the recent tweak to the regulations as the innings start with two new Kookaburra balls, before going down to one of them for the final 16 overs. Power-hitting at the death has become trickier, as evidenced during England’s defeat by Sri Lanka at Headingley last week.

While conditions in Rawalpindi and Lahore will differ to those at the World Cup in southern Africa next year, this short two-week tour that starts against Pakistan on 20 October should have plenty of benefits for England, be it transferable skills or the added pressure of a final should they get there.

David Saker will return as a bowling coach, likewise Carl Hopkinson running the fielding drills, with Brendon McCullum taking a pared-back support staff that also features assistant Jeetan Patel and the Under-19s coach, Michael Yardy.

England ODI squad: Brook (Yorkshire, capt), Atkinson (Surrey), Baker (Hampshire), Banton (Somerset), Coles (Sussex), Cox (Essex), Crane (Glamorgan), Crocombe (Sussex), S Curran (Surrey), Dawson (Hampshire), Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Jacks (Surrey), J Overton (Surrey), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Root (Yorkshire), Tongue (Nottinghamshire).