Blackwell to replace Giles

Barbados:

All rounder Ian Blackwell has been called up to join the England squad in Pakistan for the five-match one-day series. Blackwell is to replace Ashley Giles, who will return home for surgery on a long-standing hip cartilage problem after the third and final Test in Lahore, which starts on Tuesday. Blackwell has played 23 one-day matches for England. His last one-day appearance was against New Zealand in June 2004. He has taken 15 wickets with his left-arm spin and scored 291 runs at an average of 16.16. The selectors have also decided that Ian Bell will be on standby to join the one-day squad should Michael Vaughan miss the series due to knee injury. Marcus Trescothick will continue to deputise as captain if Vaughan is unavailable. Vaughan missed his team's 22-run defeat in the first Test when he twisted his right knee during a warm-up game. But he recovered in time to lead the side in the drawn second Test at Faisalabad. England currently trail the three-match Test series 1-0. The one-day series begins on 10 December. (AP)