Bairstow in for Hales in England T20 squad

Jan 21, 2017 - 6:13 AM Jonny Bairstow has been added to England's Twenty20 squad for the three-match series in India as a replacement for the injured Alex Hales.

Hales' tour has been cut short after suffering a broken right hand in the field during Thursday's second one-day international in Cuttack. He is heading home to see a surgeon ahead of a likely six-week layoff.

Bairstow has not yet featured in the ODI series and was not originally selected for the T20 leg. The Yorkshire wicketkeeper will stay with the squad as batting cover.

He could also feature in Sunday's third and final 50-over match at Eden Gardens, where the tourists will look to avert a 3-0 whitewash, but Sam Billings is in pole position to takes Hales' slot at the top of the order.

Billings, scoring 62 as a makeshift opener in Chittagong in October, is tipped to win a seventh cap.

England might also consider other changes at the scene of their dramatic World T20 final defeat last year, with left-arm spinner Liam Dawson also awaiting his first appearance of the tour and legspinner Adil Rashid angling for a recall after being dropped in Cuttack.

Source: AAP