IT'S going to be a busier winter than ever for Yorkshire fast bowler Matthew Hoggard.
He had originally been included in England's Test squad for Pakistan and Sri Lanka but has now been added to the party for the three series of one-day internationals, starting with the trip to Kenya at the end of this month.
And while Hoggard was hearing of his call-up, Yorkshire team-mates Chris Silverwood and Ryan Sidebottom learned that they are in the 16-strong England 'A' squad which will tour the West Indies.
Hoggard has been drafted in for the one-dayers as replacement for Hampshire's Alan Mullally who has had to pull out because of a recurring rib problem.
It means that Hoggard will be with both England squads all winter, along with Darren Gough and Craig White, and they will be joined by Michael Vaughan for the Test matches.
Hoggard earned his Test debut against the West Indies this summer because of his speed and aggressiveness but as the season advanced he also became one of the country's most dangerous bowlers in one-day cricket.
He smashed Howard Cooper's 25-year Yorkshire record of 29 wickets in a season of county league cricket and by the end of the campaign had become the nation's most successful bowler in the Norwich Union National League with an amazing 37 wickets at 12.37 runs apiece.
"I am delighted at being added to the one-day squad and it came as a bit of a surprise because I thought that Dominic Cork might be in with a shout of taking Mullally's place,"said Hoggard.
"But it wasn't a complete shock because Martyn Moxon had mentioned to me half way through the Hampshire game at Southampton last week that I may be going, so I was semi-prepared.
"I had a very good second half of the season in one-day cricket and it was certainly a big help being part of a side in which I could bowl my nine overs straight off with the new ball. Sometimes the wickets come for you and sometimes they don't and things have just gone my way in recent weeks.
"It's been a hard season but I have managed to keep fit and I am sure I will have recharged my batteries after a couple of weeks off.
"I am looking forward to the winter and I feel pretty confident I will be able to adjust between the one-day internationals and the Test matches."
Silverwood's inclusion on the 'A' tour shows that England have not forgotten him, despite a season blighted by injuries and indifferent form, but whether he would have been better resting up and taking a complete break from the game is another matter.
Sidebottom, however, can feel delighted at being picked because it confirms he is a player of true Test match potential.
The 22-year-old left-armer, son of former Yorkshire and England fast bowler, Arnie, hit an astonishing purple patch in midsummer before his season was brought to an abrupt halt by a serious hip injury from which he has now recovered.
In four consecutive Championship matches, Sidebottom captured 22 wickets, including career-best figures of 11 for 43 against Kent at Headingley.
In all, Sidebottom took 24 wickets at 12.50 runs apiece to finish second in the national bowling averages to Courtney Walsh.
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