“To get the call telling me you are not in the squad for a tournament such as this was disappointing”
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England pace bowler Steven Finn has admitted that he was disappointed to be overlooked for the Champions Trophy in June.
Finn was snubbed as England opted to pick fellow seamer Mark Wood, who recently made a full recovery from undergoing ankle surgery in the winter.
Even national selector James Whitaker admitted that Finn was unlucky not to make the cut for the tournament, which will be held in England.
“It’s never nice receiving the call. Even though I’ve been left out of teams, I’ve never really missed out on being in a squad,” Finn told Sky Sports. “To get the call telling me you are not in the squad for a tournament such as this was disappointing. I was quite upset after it but that’s the way cricket goes and it’s the cycle your career can go in at times.
“It just means I have to work doubly hard to make sure that, if I do get another opportunity, if James rings me up and says you’re in the squad I am ready to go and do myself justice. He said I was in a pool of bowlers pushing for places but unfortunately didn’t get the call this time.
“I read the feedback he gave about the variations in the newspapers and I take that on board. I am constantly looking to improve as a cricketer and I’ll continue to do that whether I am in the squad or not.”
Finn, however, was included in England’s squad for their two-match ODI series against Ireland.
While some of England’s high-profile players will miss the series as they are currently plying their trade in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Finn pointed out that the national team should use the Ireland series to build some momentum going into their ODI series against South Africa and the Champions Trophy.
“There’s been a little period between our last international game and this one so it’s a good opportunity for the squad to get together to play against a talented Ireland side that could be dangerous in these two ODIs,” he said. “It’s a good chance to build momentum and hopefully we can take that through the summer.”
England came agonisingly close to winning the Champions Trophy in 2004 and 2013 as they finished as the runners-up on both occasions.
But, given the squad they have chosen for the event in June, Finn conceded that there is no reason why England cannot go all the way and taste Champions Trophy glory for the first time in history.
“The way the guys have played over the last couple of years has embraced the modern style of one-day cricket,” he said. “We’ve got one of the most explosive batting line-ups in the world and I think the variety we have in our bowling line-up will allow us to take wickets on any track put in front of us.
“It’s important we don’t get carried away as fundamentally we are still a young side, still learning, but the elements of an exciting one-day team are there and that has been reflected in results over the last couple of years.
“This tournament on our home patch is a good opportunity to put down a marker and see where we are against the best in the world, and I think we have a great chance of winning it.”