North West cricketer Boyd Rankin faces an anxious wait to see if he is included in the England team to face Australia in the first Ashes Test on Thursday.
Boyd Rankin
The Bready bowler staked a claim to be included in the starting line-up in Brisbane with figures of 3-46 as England eased to a seven-wicket victory in their final Ashes warm-up match against an Australian Invitational XI in Sydney at the weekend.
However, Steven Finn (3-88) will be hoping he has done enough to secure the third seamer’s spot alongside Stuart Broad and James Anderson.
Surrey’s Chris Tremlett is also in contention and has been tipped by Australia captain Michael Clarke to figure at the Gabba
Rankin’s inclusion in the squad comes after his impressive one day international debut for England against Australia during the summer.
The 29-yearold right-arm medium-fast bowler is currently playing for Warwickhisre. Standing at 6 ft 7 inches, he has a distinctive bouncing action in his bowling.
In August last year, he announced he would cease playing for Ireland after 37 one day international appearances, with the hope of one day playing for the English team. He debuted for England against New Zealand in a T20 match on 25 June this year.
Nicknamed “Boydo” he was educated at Strabane Grammar School and Harper Adams University College.
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