Warrington hooker Mickey Higham is set for a surprise return in Saturday's Challenge Cup final, with the England star included in a 19-man squad for the Wembley rugby league clash with Huddersfield.

Higham has been out since suffering a ruptured bicep in Warrington's quarter-final win at Hull KR in May and was earlier this week ruled out of the final by coach Tony Smith.

But the 28-year-old has returned to full training and is desperate to play to make amends for the disappointment of missing the 2004 final.

Higham is likely to be a straight replacement for Jon Clarke, who has been omitted from Smith's initial squad after failing to recover from an ankle problem he aggravated in last Friday's Super League defeat by Wakefield.

Australian threequarters Matt King and Chris Hicks, who have not played since Warrington's semi-final win against Wigan earlier this month, are included in the 19, along with youngster Tyrone McCarthy, who only made his debut a fortnight ago and is expected to be omitted from the final 17.

Huddersfield coach Nathan Brown left out forward Andy Raleigh from his 19-man squad.

The former Hull KR player was expected to take the place of second rower Danny Kirmond, who has been ruled out with a cruciate knee ligament injury.

However, Raleigh is short of match fitness, having only just returned from an eight-week lay-off with an Achilles problem, and Kirmond's place will now go to either ex-Bradford, Salford and Widnes forward Simon Finnigan or former Wigan winger-turned-back row forward Martin Aspinwall.

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