Sidebottom blow sparks England crisis
ENGLAND are facing a bowling injury crisis ahead of the Test series in Bangladesh after seamer Ryan Sidebottom was ruled out of the rest of the tour.
Left-arm paceman Sidebottom has failed to recover from a thigh injury suffered in the first one-day international and is due to fly home tomorrow.
Coach Andy Flower has serious fitness concerns over two more of his attack, with Stuart Broad and Graham Onions both emerging as injury doubts.
Broad was left out of the team for today’s final ODI in Chittagong after missing training yesterday with a back injury.
Onions is suffering with a similar problem, and both players will undergo scans today as England doctors attempt to get the pair fit for the two-Test series.
Yorkshire medium-pacer Tim Bresnan, who is in Bangladesh as part of the one-day squad, has been drafted into the Test party to cover Sidebottom.
Flower has also called up towering Middlesex seamer Steve Finn to the senior set-up, in case Broad and Onions fail to recover.
The 6ft 7in Finn, 20, who had been with the England Lions in Dubai, will join the squad before the first Test in seven days’ time.
“There has been a lot happening at the moment,” said Flower. “Sidebottom has pulled a side muscle and will be going home on Saturday after the one-dayers have finished. He won’t be fit for the Test matches so he has to go home.
“Bresnan is going to take his place. He’s staying on after the one-dayers. We also have concerns over Broad and Onions.
“Broad injured something in his back in the last ODI and Onions is also struggling with something in his back. Both of them are having MRI scans tomorrow and we will know more about their results tomorrow afternoon.”