Nottinghamshire all-rounder Samit Patel has been called up to the England squad for the Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.
The 30-year-old replaces Surrey man Zafar Ansari, who has been forced to pull out with a dislocated thumb that he suffered on the day the 16-man squad was announced.
Patel, who also bowls left-arm spin, made the last of his five Test appearances in December 2012 against India and has not featured for his country in any format since a Twenty20 international with New Zealand the following year.
"The timing of this injury was particularly cruel for Zafar and he is naturally extremely disappointed to have to pull out of the tour," ECB national selector James Whitaker told BBC Sport.
"As a left-arm spinner and a middle-order batsman, Samit is a similar type of player to Zafar and his previous international experience and, in particular, experience of performing for England in sub-continental conditions will be an extremely useful asset to the squad in the UAE."
The first of the three Test matches with Pakistan begins on October 13 in Abu Dhabi.
Steven Toplis
