90mph fast bowler Olly Stone named in 16-man England squad for ODI series in Sri Lanka

Warwickshire’s fast bowler Olly Stone, 24, was told by England’s national selector Ed Smith after the warm-ups and before the start of Warwickshire’s second day against Sussex that he had been called up for England’s 16-man squad to play five one-day internationals in Sri Lanka next month, along with both Curran brothers, Tom and Sam.

Stone has had a very fine championship season when injury has allowed, taking 34 wickets at only 11 runs each before Warwickshire’s current game against Sussex to drive them to the top of the second division. But he gets his chance in white-ball cricket first, because David Willey is unavailable with a back injury and Liam Plunkett will miss the first three internationals to get married.

“He’s ready,” said Ashley Giles, Warwickshire’s director of cricket, who labelled Stone a Ferrari that needs to be carefully managed so he does not break down again. “He’s pretty relaxed, he’s out from Norwich way, he’s a good bloke, very calm, he doesn’t seem to over-complicate things so he’ll fit into that environment.

“The bloke bowls 90 mph, he gets it back in at the stumps a lot and gets people bowled a lot. In red-ball cricket his strike-rate this year is phenomenal but I think he can play all forms. Someone who can come on and bowl three-over bursts and look to get wickets in that mid-innings period is crucial. If you don’t get wickets in 50-over cricket you just get eaten alive and he can do that.”

Plunkett had originally scheduled his wedding to take place during the Test series in Sri Lanka in October, then the formats were switched so that the ODI series will come first followed by the Tests in November. As he is marrying an American woman, many transatlantic flights had been booked and it became too difficult to alter the wedding date.

Another member of the England squad, Moeen Ali, will bring back un-fond memories for Stone. It was in celebrating his dismissal of Moeen in 2016 that Stone badly injured himself, rupturing the anterior cruciate ligaments of his right knee.

Stone, who was playing for Northamptonshire, was signed by Warwickshire while still recuperating. He has been repaying their faith in all three formats, although his record in 50-over matches - 23 wickets at 38 runs each - is not distinguished.

As Sam Curran moves effortlessly up the England ladder in any format, there was no room for more surprises. Jamie Overton was one possibility but Stone’s skiddier trajectory, if allied to reverse-swing, would be more suited to Sri Lanka’s low, ungrassed pitches.

England are taking three spinners as they will have to play two in every match, so Liam Dawson gets recalled. Sri Lanka have been defeated by Afghanistan and Bangladesh in the on-going Asia Cup but can be expected to be a vastly different proposition in their home conditions.

England ODI squad v Sri Lanka

• Eoin Morgan (Middlesex) Captain

• Moeen Ali (Worcestershire)

• Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire)

• Jos Buttler (Lancashire)

• Sam Curran (Surrey)

• Tom Curran (Surrey)

• Liam Dawson (Hampshire)

• Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire)

• Liam Plunkett (Yorkshire)

• Adil Rashid (Yorkshire)

• Joe Root (Yorkshire)

• Jason Roy (Surrey)

• Ben Stokes (Durham)

• Olly Stone (Warwickshire)

• Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)

• Mark Wood (Durham)

The squad departs for Colombo on Sunday September 30.