Graeme Swann,
England's premier spinner, has flown home ahead of the final tour match
against Haryana to spend time with his daughter who is unwell. He is
expected to return before the first Test on November 15 in Ahmedabad.
"This is a personal matter and we would ask for everyone to give Graeme
and his family privacy. We will not be making any further comment at
this time," the ECB said in a statement.
The development means England will be without three of their first
choice four-man attack in the final warm-up match ahead of the first
Test against India with Stuart Broad and Steven Finn both suffering from
injury.
Neither Broad or Finn are expected to play in the match against Haryana
that starts on Thursday, meaning that, even if they recover in time for
the Test that starts on November 15, they will have had very little
preparation. Finn, who has a thigh strain, managed just four overs in
the first warm-up match before he was forced from the pitch, while
Broad, who has a bruised heel, missed the first game and bowled only 10
overs in the second. Finn's injury is thought to be the more serious and
he must be considered most unlikely to play in the first Test.
England may also decide to rest James Anderson for the final warm-up
match. Anderson, Broad and Finn were expected to play as part of a
three-man seam attack in the Test series. With Anderson, who has played
in both of the first two matches, the last man standing, his importance
to the team has grown even further. England have called-up Surrey fast
bowler Stuart Meaker as back-up and it is likely that he will come into
the team to play Haryana. Graham Onions and Tim Bresnan are the other
seamers with the squad.
"It's unlikely that Broad or Finn will be considered for this game,"
Graham Gooch, England's batting coach said. "They've both got injuries,
and I don't think they're going to be ready for this game.
"With a bruised heel, it is something that can be very annoying and can
take time to clear up. You've got to see how it goes each day, whether
it gets better with the rest - keep checking it and see how it comes on.
There's no other way of going about it really."
There was better news for England in the form of Kevin Pietersen.
England were given a day-off on Wednesday, but Pietersen was among three
players - Meaker and Samit Patel were the others - to take advantage of
some extra batting practise. Certainly Gooch has been impressed by
Pietersen's determination to prove his worth upon his return to the
team.
With fences mended and differences made up, Pietersen's determination is
renewed and his motivation high. "I know Kevin is focused," Gooch said.
"I've seen the way he's been practising. A fit and strong Kevin
Pietersen is a player to be reckoned with.
"He's looking forward. What's in the past is in the past. The only thing
that counts is what's in the future - what he's going to do, how he's
going to interact with the team, what sort of performances he's looking
to give.
"I don't think it's an issue with Kevin. All the things have been done
and dusted. From my conversations with him and from the way he is
working, he's looking forward to this tour."
While it is anticipated that England's batsmen will face a trial by spin
in India, Gooch is taking nothing for granted against India's seam
attack. But as well as preparing batsmen for the cricketing challenges,
the England management also prepared them for the noise and hostility
they anticipate by playing crowd noise from loudspeakers and the team
psychologist, Mark Bawden, occupying the net next to the batsmen and
testing their ability to ignore distractions by clapping, appealing and
shouting.
"We're not majoring on spin," Gooch said. "That's not the only type of
bowling we're going to face. They've got two very good opening bowlers,
two out of three from Umesh Yadav, Zaheer Khan or Ishant Sharma, and two
spinners.
"Our build-up has gone to plan. People have got runs; there's been some
wickets. Some of our players have learned a little bit in the couple of
weeks we've been here.
"Nowadays, when you are trying to stimulate players with training, you
come up with different ideas. There's a bit of noise there, a little
idea to make it slightly different. You're looking to motivate, to push
the players to get the very best out of them. You come up with different
ideas. It's not a major thing, just something that's a little bit
different.
"I think coming to India is one of the greatest challenges. It's a
wonderful place to play cricket. The enthusiasm for the game - with the
advent of the IPL - has created even more excitement. We know India are a
top side in their own country. Not long ago they were rated number one,
and you don't do that without putting on consistent performances. But
we've come here to win the series; we've not come here to make up the
numbers."
While only one new face - probably Nick Compton - is anticipated in the
team for the first Test, there is likely to be an opportunity for
another specialist batsmen in the second Test with Ian Bell expected to
return to England to be present at the birth of his first child.
"It's going to be quite a difficult selection," Gooch said. "Our guys
are pretty much all experienced Test players: Alastair Cook; Jonathan
Trott; Kevin Pietersen; Ian Bell and Matt Prior. There will be maybe one
new face.
"Nick Compton and Joe Root are two very good players, obviously at
different levels of their career. One has been in the first-class game
for quite a while. Compton has gained experience and found his mark. He
has found the way he can score runs and been very successful over the
last couple of years for Somerset.
"The other lad is obviously a young, exciting player. He has a good
technique from what I've seen - this is the first time I've seen him
close up - and he bowls a bit. So it's going to be quite a difficult
selection.
"Then you've got Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow, Samit Patel all bidding
for places. But I like competition for places. You want that. You want
people to be putting their hand up and saying 'I want that place in the
side'."
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