England name squad for Stanford Twenty20, India series
LONDON, Sept 9: England pace bowler Ryan Sidebottom will have to prove his fitness before being given the chance to earn one million dollars (500,000 pounds) in the winner-takes-all Stanford Twenty20 clash in November.
The Nottinghamshire left-arm quick was added to the unchanged XI which wrapped up a 4-0 one-day series win at home to South Africa this month and the four other original squad members to form a 15-man party for the match against billionaire Allen Stanford’s Caribbean ‘superstars’ in Antigua on Nov 1 and the subsequent seven-match one-day series in India.
Players in the winning side of the match at Texan-born businessman Stanford’s own ground stand to win one million dollars (500,000 pounds) each — a staggering sum by cricket standards.
However, 30-year-old left-arm quick Sidebottom, the reigning England player of the year, has sustained back, hip and groin injuries this season and was replaced in the one-day squad by Yorkshire’s Tim Bresnan.
“The selectors would like to congratulate the team on an outstanding performance in beating such a talented one-day side as South Africa so comprehensively,” said selection supremo Geoff Miller.
“It bodes extremely well for the tough challenges that lie ahead this winter and is reflected in our decision to retain the bulk of the squad from this summer’s NatWest Series for both The Stanford Super Series and the tour of India,” he added.
England are also due to play two Tests in India in December. The squad for that series is set to be announced on Sept 29.
England 15-man squad announced on Tuesday for the Stanford Super Series in Antigua and the One-day International series in India:
Kevin Pietersen (captain), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Andrew Flintoff, Stephen Harmison, Samit Patel, Matt Prior (wicket-keeper), Owais Shah, Graeme Swann, Ryan Sidebottom, Luke Wright.
Fixtures:
Stanford Super Series (Twenty20)
All matches at Stanford Cricket Ground, Antigua
Oct 25: Stanford Superstars v Trinidad and Tobago
Oct 26: England v Middlesex
Oct 27: Trinidad and Tobago v Middlesex
Oct 28: England v Trinidad and Tobago
Oct 29: Stanford Superstars v Middlesex
Nov 1: Stanford Superstars v England
England ODIs in India:
Nov 6: England arrive, Mumbai
Nov 9: One-day warm-up match, Mumbai
Nov 11: One-day warm-up match, Mumbai
Nov 14: 1ST 0DI v India, Rajkot
Nov 17: 2ND ODI v India, Indore
Nov 20: 3RD ODI v India, Kanpur
Nov 23: 4TH ODI v India, Jamshedpur
Nov 26: 5TH ODI v India, Cuttack
Nov 29: 6TH ODI v India, Guwahati
Dec 2: 7th ODI v India, Delhi.—AFP