Dernbach called up to England's World Cup squad

Jade Dernbach (right) has been named as Ajmal Shahzad's replacement © Getty Images Enlarge

The Surrey seamer has been named as the surprise replacement in England's World Cup squad, after Ajmal Shahzad sustained a hamstring strain that ruled him out of contention for the knock-out stages of the tournament.

Dernbach, who is currently in the West Indies with the England Lions, has received approval from the ICC Event Technical Committee, and is expected to be released from his current fixture against , and will arrive in the subcontinent in time for the quarter-finals, which get underway on March 23.

Dernbach, 24, began the winter on the England Performance Programme in Australia before going on to make his England Lions debut last month, playing in the WICB regional four-day competition where he is currently the side's leading wicket-taker. The Surrey player has spent the previous two winters on the ECB Fast Bowling Programme in Florida and Chennai and is a graduate of the Surrey Academy.

Chris Adams, the Surrey cricket manager, believes the call-up is due reward for hard work. "From what we've seen for the last two years with Jade, as a cricketer and a person, he's matured in an accelerated way," he told ESPNcricinfo. "Partly because the situation at Surrey meant from an early age he was being asked to lead attacks which was good exposure and a steep learning curve.

"As a bowler has come on immensely in the last two years, but as a person he has also really matured into an outstanding individual. There are perceptions that people may have had in past that haven't always been that favourable, but take it from me he's an outstanding individual. He'll run through brick walls for his team-mates and loves winning."

One of the aspects of Dernbach's game that has caught the eye on the domestic circuit and kept the selectors interested is his accurate slower ball which has proved very effective in one-day cricket. He has taken 95 wickets in 60 List A fixtures with a career-best of 5 for 31, although his economy rate is high at 6.33, and on the current Lions tour has taken 19 wickets at 15.63 in the Caribbean four-day competition.

"He's developed a slower ball, a very special variance, which is dynamite and is unusual. It's bowled very well and has great deception," Adams said. "All those aspects coming together and this x-factor delivery is good reason for the selectors to have called him up. If you have a slower ball that gets purchase or grip, anything off the pitch, you'll be in the game so long as you can disguise it well which Jade is exceptional at."

National Selector, Geoff Miller, said: "We have been following the progress of Jade for some time and he has impressed throughout his two years on the fast bowling programme in 2008-09 in Florida and Chennai and the England Performance Programme in Australia late last year and during the domestic season with Surrey.

"He is a talented athlete and has performed very well with the Lions on the current tour of the West Indies and we feel his variations will be extremely useful on the surfaces we will be playing on should we progress to the knock out stages of the World Cup."

Dernbach was picked ahead of the Warwickshire allrounder, Chris Woakes, who impressed in his maiden England series in Australia recently. Liam Plunkett, who played the last of those seven ODIs against Australia, is currently injured.

The England team is currently waiting for confirmation that the side has reached the quarter-final stages of the ICC World Cup which is dependent on the remaining matches in the group stages. A victory for South Africa over Bangladesh, or India over West Indies, would be enough to guarantee a place in the last eight.

Dernbach, who was named in England's 30-man preliminary squad, becomes the fourth replacement in England's World Cup 15, although Eoin Morgan - who was replaced by Ravi Bopara - subsequently returned as a replacement for the injured Kevin Pietersen. Chris Tremlett was called up in place of Stuart Broad, who suffered a side strain during the victory over South Africa.