England captain Alastair Cook has said that he is keeping his fingers crossed about a comeback of injured seamers Stuart Broad and Steven Finn after New Zealand's five-wicket win in the first one-day international at Lord's, ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy.
Before play started on Friday, both Broad (knee) and Finn (shin) were ruled out of the opening two fixtures in this three-match series, placing a doubt over their fitness for next month's eight-nation one-day tournament in England and Wales, Sport24 reports.
According to Cook, the duo are key parts of their full-strength one-day team and are also world-class bowlers, adding that he is hoping that both Broad and Finn comes back in time for the Champions Trophy as their substitutes like Chris Woakes and Jade Dernbach are not experienced enough to fill their boots.
However, Cook said that he hoped that although the situation is not ideal, they have a good medical team, adding that he is hoping for a positive outcome.
Praising former Ireland seamer Boyd Rankin, Cook said that his selection for the ODI squad against the Black Caps has been an advantage, in view of the height (2.01 metres) of Rankin, adding that a team needs variety if it has five bowlers.
New Zealand, after James Anderson's first over double strike left them reeling at one for two, eventually won with 19 balls to spare on the back of Martin Guptill's unbeaten hundred, the report added.
