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Sidebottom doubtful for big-money Stanford match

30/10/2008

England fast bowler Ryan Sidebottom is considered to be a major doubt for the $20 million Stanford Super Series finale because of a calf injury.

The 29-year-old was forced to miss a practice session at Falmouth Cricket Club in Antigua this morning to receive treatment on the ongoing injury.

And as a result he may be forced to sit out Saturday's winners-take-all fixture against the Stanford Superstars, meaning he will receive only a quarter of the £1 million (£620,000) prize money that will be due for the starting XI England players if they can win the Twenty20 match.

The rest of the 15-man squad were all able to train as normal on Thursday despite James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Luke Wright – as well as Sidebottom – being forced to miss the last match against Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday due to a stomach bug.

England captain Kevin Pietersen also described all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, among a number of others in the squad who played, as being "on his last legs" due to the illness.

And the skipper has expressed his desire to get the series finished as soon as possible to get some rest in before the upcoming India tour this winter, as well as to move away from the negative publicity generated by the Stanford Series.

"The longer this week goes on the more I want to get it over with," Pietersen said after the Trinidad Twenty20 match, which England won by one run on the final ball.

"We have got four guys sick and another couple are not well."

He continued: "I am not going to take people on the park who are not fit to play for England.

"It is just a case of getting the boys right for Saturday now.

"The lads are not feeling too special at the moment, but I am sure there won't be not many missing the bus on Saturday."