Eoin Morgan says his side are in a good place for the three-match T20 series against India with Joe Root fit to play and Chris Jordan and Tymal Mills adding extra bowling options.
Speaking about Root and fellow injury concern David Willey before tomorrow's opener in Kanpur, England's limited-overs captain said: “Both of them are better, and Joe is fit to play tomorrow.
“He wasn’t a huge concern but a risk we didn’t feel was needed to take, so he’s pulled up really well and is fit for selection.
“David's scan hasn’t come back with any serious concerns but he’s unavailable for selection tomorrow.”
“He will be around for the rest of the series. Whether he takes part or not, we’ll have to play it day by day.”
With Jordan and Mills joining the squad, Morgan will have solid reinforcements in the bowling attack.
Morgan said: “They’re two very strong contenders – on the back of a tough one-day series, they’ve brought a lot of energy into the squad.
“CJ with his death bowling and Tymal bowling out and out express is very valuable to have.”
Kanpur will provide a new challenge for the 30-year-old, who said: “I haven’t played here at all. I spoke to Brendon McCullum, who has played two IPL games here last year for the Gujarat Lions and his reports back are that the wicket’s pretty good.
“It’s quite a high-scoring ground. However, the games that they played were further into the night – they were all eight o’clock starts as opposed to four o’clock – so, like any ground, any wicket we play on we don’t go in with a huge amount of preconceived ideas.
“A lot of playing abroad is about adapting to different conditions and producing your best performance on that day and that wicket to win a game.”
England T20 series v India
Thursday 26 January (Kanpur)
Sunday 29 January (Nagpur)
Wednesday 1 February (Bengaluru)
England return to Cardiff to play South Africa in the third NatWest International T20 in June. CLICK HERE to secure your seats with adult tickets from £35 and under 17s £10