Sidebottom setback raises fears

The Nottinghamshire left-arm seamer was on the verge of a recall to the one-day line-up for the third match in their seven match series with India, which begins at Green Park early on Thursday morning, when he suffered some untimely discomfort to his lower back.

He had a scan, but the results are inconclusive, and England are monitoring his movements before deciding on the next course of action.

Sidebottom's previous problems have included side and Achilles injuries, sidelining him from all international cricket since facing South Africa in the third Test at Edgbaston last August.

"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.

"As far as I'm concerned, I'm desperate to see Ryan playing again because he's one of my best mates - 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."

Despite Swann's upbeat assessment, there are grave concerns about Sidebottom's ability to withstand the rigours of international cricket - after he played 16 successive Tests up until his recent injury problems.