James Foster and Sajid Mahmood, casualties of heavy Ashes defeats in Australia, are back in the selectors' thoughts after both being named in this summer's 25-man performance squad. Foster, the Essex wicket-keeper, has not been involved with the full England side since the 2002-03 Ashes, while the Lancashire fast bowler Mahmood has not played since the 2007 World Cup. "They are pressing for a place in the England squads and we will watch them with interest when they play for the MCC against Durham at Lord's this weekend," said national selector Geoff Miller.
Former captain Michael Vaughan, fresh from a hundred for Yorkshire in Abu Dhabi in the ProArch Trophy, will also play for the MCC in the season curtain-raiser. Nottinghamshire all-rounder Samit Patel, disciplined on fitness grounds this winter, has also been included, along with Robert Key, who retains his place from the 2008 list and is a candidate to lead the World Twenty20 challenge in June. As well as the 12 men centrally contracted and the seven players on increment contracts, there are six others listed, including the uncapped Yorkshire all-rounder Adil Rashid, who toured the Caribbean this winter.
"The England performance squad is designed to allow us to monitor the development of international players and better prepare them for the demands of the international game," added Miller. "In the case of someone like Amjad Khan, who impressed everyone when he joined the latter part of the Caribbean tour, it allows us to monitor his progress after injury. "The selectors can name up to 30 players in the EPS, but we have decided to keep five places vacant at present in order to give ourselves greater flexibility. We will reserve the right to add further players to the squad if their performances in domestic cricket merit it."
England's performance squad Tim Ambrose, James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Andrew Flintoff, James Foster, Stephen Harmison, Robert Key, Amjad Khan, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Sajid Mahmood, Monty Panesar, Samit Patel, Kevin Pietersen, Matthew Prior , Adil Rashi, Owais Shah, Andrew Strauss, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, Michael Vaughan , Luke Wright.
* With agencies
