England look set to emphasise today that the slate is clean for some players perceived as problems in the past when they offer surprise places in their Test squad for South Africa to Nick Compton and Samit Patel.

Two batsmen who, for differing reasons, found themselves on the outside under previous regimes appear certain to provide cover in a squad that will be without England’s fastest bowlers in Steven Finn and Mark Wood.

Compton, 32, was banished before the 2013 Ashes when he appeared to freeze in the final Test against New Zealand at Headingley and then became embroiled in a dispute over the extent of a rib injury that stopped him fielding.

Nick Compton was banished on the brink of the 2013 Ashes after he froze in the Test against New Zealand

Samit Patel was deemed unselectable by former England coach Andy Flower because of fitness issues

Yet now he seems to have edged out Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance to provide back-up for rookie Alex Hales, who looks sure to open with Alastair Cook in the first Test in Durban on Boxing Day.

Patel, 30, was deemed unselectable by former England coach Andy Flower because of weight issues but he was called up for England’s series against Pakistan as a late replacement for the injured Zafar Ansari and did enough when selected for the third Test to earn coach Trevor Bayliss’s vote now.

The absence of Finn and Wood is a big setback as England hoped both would have recovered from the injuries that cut short their tours of the United Arab Emirates, in Finn’s case before the Tests.

Finn, who returned to his best against Australia last summer, was outstanding in the warm-up in Sharjah but was forced to go home with a stress condition in his left foot.

England will be without two of the country's fastest bowlers in Steven Finn and Mark Wood against South Africa

The absence bowler Finn is a setback for England

He may have recovered for the later stages of the tour but England do not want to travel with unfit players, so at this stage the one-day leg of the trip in February is a more realistic target.

Finn’s absence here in the UAE put more onus on Wood and he excelled in the opening two Tests against Pakistan before the chronic ankle condition that stops him playing more than two consecutive games ruled him out of the third.

It seemed the Durham bowler, who has made such a good impression this year, would be patched up for South Africa but the problem is too serious and he is facing an operation next week to try to clear it up for good.

The double absence is a headache for England as they will not now have a bowler of extreme pace to back up Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad against a rapid South Africa attack boasting Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and the exciting Kagiso Rabada.

At least Ben Stokes has fully recovered from the collar-bone injury he suffered in the final Test and is fit to take his place in a squad that will be named by chief selector James Whitaker here in Dubai today.

It means Liam Plunkett, the next fastest man, will almost certainly travel, with Chris Woakes and Chris Jordan in contention to join him when England leave for Johannesburg on December 10.

POSSIBLE ENGLAND TEST SQUAD Cook (captain), Hales, Bell, Root, Taylor, Stokes, Bairstow (keeper), Moeen, Broad, Plunkett, Anderson, Buttler (keeper), Woakes, Patel, Rashid, Jordan, Compton. Advertisement

Mark Footitt is an intriguing left-arm option but the selectors are expected to stick with the bowlers already in their set-up.