Four months after he closed the door on his international career, Robert Croft yesterday found himself ushered back into the England squad.

Croft's fearsome attack on England's selection policy which followed his omission from the winter tour squads could well have meant the end for the off-spinner's international hopes.

But a dearth of talent in the spin department and a torrid time for Ian Salisbury in Pakistan has ensured his reprieve.

Croft, who plays for Glamorgan, was yesterday named in England's 15-man squad for the Test series in Sri Lanka. He was joined by another off-spinner, the untried but extremely promising Jason Brown, of Northamptonshire, as chairman of selectors David Graveney announced two changes to those named in August.

A solitary success in three Tests in Pakistan accounted for Salisbury and a recurring back problem curbed Dominic Cork's involvement. Graeme Hick's place had been thought to be under threat but his important innings in the final Test in Karachi appears to have secured his inclusion.

The inclusion of Croft is surprising given his record last season, when he took just 29 County Championship wickets at more than 40 runs apiece Brown's nine games yielded 57 victims at 20.15.

Croft's diatribe has done more good than bad. A Welshman he may be, but he is proud to play with the three lions on his chest.

That pride was hurt in late summer, leading him to claim he would never pull on an England sweater again and that Glamorgan players were not given a fair chance compared to others such as Yorkshire's Darren Gough.

''What I said at the end of the season was a little bit of a clearing of the throat,'' he insisted.

''With the benefit of hindsight there are certain things I would have done differently.

''After I got it off my chest I spoke, pretty quickly, to David Graveney and Darren Gough to let them know that nothing personal was meant.

''I have always regarded myself as someone who has played with pride and given as much as one can give to the other players.

''Pride and passion sometimes get the better of me and I have sometimes got carried away and paid the price.''

Those 'P' words are central to the agenda of Nasser Hussain; the England captain has called for them at every juncture.

Croft cannot wait to get back into the fold, following the historic series win over Moin Khan's side, the first on Pakistani soil in nearly 40 years.

''The captain and coach (Duncan Fletcher) have done a fantastic job so far and I am sure they have already got a strategy in motion for this series,'' he said.

Croft, who was also included in the 15-strong one-day party for Sri Lanka, was an integral part of the previous overseas series victory in New Zealand in 1996-97 when he bowled in tandem with Phil Tufnell.

Now he is hoping to forge a working relationship with another left-armer, Warwickshire's Ashley Giles, the find of the winter.

''It was a fantastic effort for the boys to win in Pakistan and it is brilliant to be part of it in Sri Lanka. Christmas has come early for me,'' Croft added.

''It's an important tour for all the spinners but it will not be a case of turning up and getting over-excited at the dusty tracks because I believe the Sri Lankans are the best players of spin in the world.

''It is what they are used to and to do well against them would be a real feather in your cap. I have always thought, to really get something out of the game, you have to compete against the best.

''Spin bowlers work better as a partnership and I know that played a huge part when we won out in New Zealand, but don't forget there is another spin bowler on this trip.''

Brown will still embark on the England A tour to the Caribbean, leaving on December 28, joining up with the full side at the end of January. County colleague Graeme Swann will replace him in the West Indies.

''I am flabbergasted,'' said Brown on his selection. ''I got a call from David Graveney and I was just speechless.

''I was geared for the A tour. I have got carried away about things before, hoping to be selected for sides, and you sort of let yourself down.

''But it's fantastic to be joining up with a successful team. I can imagine the atmosphere amongst the players must be amazing."

The fact that Brown turns the ball as much as any English finger spinner bodes well, but his batting is a total contradiction of recent noises from within the England set-up about everybody contributing to the cause.

Gough's place at No 11 will be under severe threat from a man who averaged just over three with the bat last season, should England discover he is ready to exploit the dusty tracks.

Two former England spinners, John Emburey and Nick Cook, have helped fine-tune the bowling of Brown, 26, who was plucked from the obscurity of Staffordshire.

He has only been on tour twice before, to Zimbabwe and Grenada with his county, and his only venture into club cricket overseas was endured on artificial surfaces in Dunedin, New Zealand.

The door is not closed for Salisbury, according to Graveney, who said the Surrey player had ''had a difficult time with the ball on tour'' and England needed ''to look at other options''