Plunkett's last game for England was in July 2007

Injury-hit England have called seamer Liam Plunkett into their squad for the first two one-day internationals in South Africa, which begin on Friday.

Plunkett, due to join up with England in December for the Test series, is currently with the performance squad.

Opener Alastair Cook was the latest player to join the injury list after he awoke with a stiff back on Tuesday.

He joins James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood and Graeme Swann on the sidelines ahead of the first ODI.

None of the injured quintet are playing in Tuesday's 50-over warm-up game against South Africa A - in which England are fielding their 11 remaining fit players.

"We reckon they aren't going to be medium-term injuries. We're hopeful they'll clear up by Friday," said England coach Andy Flower.

Durham seamer Plunkett, 24, has played nine Tests and 27 ODIs, but last featured for his country in July 2007.

Anderson, who played in Sunday's crushing Twenty20 defeat despite not being 100% fit, has a knee injury, while fellow paceman Broad has had injections in his right shoulder.

Spinner Swann has an issue with a muscle in his ribcage and all-rounder Collingwood, another of the regular one-day bowlers, has a long-standing problem with his lower back which has flared up again.

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Broad hurt his shoulder in a practice match 11 days ago and missed both Twenty20 internationals against South Africa.

"He's had a number of injections in the past few days and we are waiting to see the reaction to those injections, to see whether it settles," said Flower.

"We had a very heavy summer, then three weeks off and then we started again with gusto in Bloemfontein.

"We worked really hard and unfortunately we have picked up some of these niggles.

"I think in the future we are going to have to target certain periods for strengthening, conditioning programmes for some of these fast bowlers especially and for them to miss the odd international because of it."

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