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Sidebottom to undergo back scan

November 23, 2008 00:00:00


England have sent left-arm seamer Ryan Sidebottom for a new scan on his lower back as they seek to determine the extent of his injury problem.
Sidebottom (30) was scanned when England arrived in Kanpur, complaining of discomfort before the third one-day international against India, BBC reports.
Those results were inconclusive so he will undergo more tests in Bangalore.
Another win for India in Sunday's fourth one-dayer in Bangalore would see them clinch the seven-game series.
Even without Sidebottom, England may choose to make changes after three successive defeats.
Paceman Steve Harmison is pushing for a recall after being left out in Kanpur, while fellow seamer James Anderson is under pressure after failing to take a wicket in the first three ODIs - having conceded 125 runs in 20 overs.
Former ODI captain Paul Collingwood and wicketkeeper Matt Prior have also struggled for form on the tour.
Sidebottom has barely bowled since featuring in the third Test against South Africa at Edgbaston last August.
A series of side injuries kept him out of the game for the rest of the English summer.
He returned for the Stanford Super Series in Antigua but suffered Achilles problems after bowling just two overs, and is yet to feature in a match since England's arrival in India nearly three weeks ago.
"He's having a bit of an unlucky run," said his Nottinghamshire and England team-mate Graeme Swann.
"He got injured during the summer and had a long rehabilitation trying to get back.
"It's a bit like Michael Owen back home - it's taken him so long to get back from a serious injury, and little niggles are keeping him out."
Sidebottom's ability to withstand the rigours of international cricket is now being questioned, having played 16 successive Tests until his recent injury problems.
"As far as I'm concerned, I'm desperate to see Ryan playing again because he's one of my best mates," said Swann. "And I think English cricket needs that sort of haircut in the team.
"He's obviously down but he's the sort of character that can easily be distracted with an episode of 'Max and Paddy' or something like that, so it's not hard to keep his spirits up.
"He's just desperate like everyone else in the squad to get into the team and perform for England."
If Sidebottom is not given a positive prognosis England may look to players from the Performance Programme squad, who are in Bangalore, for a possible replacement.
Start time: 3pm BST (day/night game)

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