England have welcomed Michael Carberry back into the fold as "life moves on" for both parties, despite the opener's outspoken remarks about his previous omission.
Carberry was never left out of a one-day international squad, merely not selected in the team in Australia after last winter's Ashes or then in a touring party to the West Indies which was ICC World Twenty20 preparation in all but name.
It was nonetheless a surprise to many when the Hampshire batsman was named yesterday both in a 14-man ODI squad for the first three matches of five against Sri Lanka and a 13-strong list for a one-off Twenty20 - a format in which the 33-year-old is still uncapped.
Carberry is included alongside Ian Bell, a pivotal presence in England's 50-over and Test plans but not involved in T20s since January 2011. National selector James Whitaker announced squads also notable for the omission of established T20 opener Michael Lumb, the inclusion of Moeen Ali in the short format and seamers Harry Gurney and Tim Bresnan in both.
As for Carberry's ongoing presence, following a winter in which he opened with Alastair Cook throughout England's Ashes whitewash, Whitaker took issue with a suggestion which had gathered credence that the left-hander's time in international cricket might be up.
"I don't know where that came from," he said. "He is still playing good quality county cricket and has been involved in the England squads in the last 12 months and is very much a good player who we see contributing for England."
Carberry asked for "straight answers" when he queried two months ago whether he was still in the selectors' thoughts.
Whitaker, in situ then and the common denominator in an otherwise much-changed management structure, insists all is forgotten - if there was ever an issue.
"He aired his views," he said. "But life moves on - nobody's perfect. Certainly we're not, and he isn't, nobody is. What counts is his talent."
Carberry still has an opportunity then to keep pressing his claims in all formats, something which perhaps can no longer be said for Lumb, a year his fellow left-hander's senior.
There was no obvious consolation either for the Nottinghamshire batsman, in what Whitaker had to say. "Michael Lumb was unfortunate," he added. "We have gone in a different direction."
n Eoin Morgan pressed his case for a place in the England Test side by completing a century to put Middlesex in firm control of their LV= County Championship tie with Lancashire at Lord's.
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