Injury-hit England call up Plunkett

London: England has called up fast bowler Liam Plunkett ahead of Sunday's seventh and final one-day international against Australia at Perth after injuries to pacers Chris Tremlett and Ajmal Shahzad.

Plunkett will fly to Perth all the way from the West Indies where he was a member of the domestic side England Lions. He will join the national squad only three days before the final match of the two-month-long Australian tour.

Tremlett has a side strain while Shahzad nursing a hamstring twinge that will be assessed by a scan in Sydney.

Plunkett has been called as cover for the injured pacers Chris Tremlett and Ajmal Shahzad.

Another seamer Tim Bresnan was already back home nursing his calf.

Plunkett played the last of his nine Tests in the summer of 2007 but his last ODI came as recently as March last year, when he played against Bangladesh in Chittagong.

"Liam Plunkett has been part of the England performance programme and England Lions squad this winter. So we are confident that he will be ready to play a role for England should the need arise," England coach Andy Flower was quoted as saying by The Press Association.

"We are waiting for an update on the injuries to Ajmal Shahzad and Chris Tremlett but with our preparations for the World Cup starting in less than a fortnight, we need to prioritise getting our World Cup squad members fit and ready for the start of the tournament," Flower added.

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