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Page last updated at 06:45 GMT, Tuesday, 15 March 2011

Cricket World Cup: Strauss and Swann have stomach bug

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 Group B: England v West Indies
Venue: Chennai Date: Thursday, 17 March (0900 GMT)
Tournament dates: 19 February-2 April Venues: India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh
Coverage: Highlights on BBC Two (see listings), Red Button & online at 2200 GMT (UK only); live Test Match Special commentary (BBC 5 live sports extra, Radio 4 LW and online); text commentary online and mobiles; live on Sky Sports


Graeme Swann and Andrew Strauss
Swann (left) and Strauss should be lining up against the Windies

England captain Andrew Strauss and spin bowler Graeme Swann missed practice on Tuesday because of stomach upsets.

Their participation in England's must-win World Cup Group B match against West Indies in Chennai is, however, not thought to be in doubt at this stage.

A team spokesman indicated both should recover for Thursday's match.

Meanwhile, BBC Sport understands that Windies opening batsman Chris Gayle will also be fit to play after recovering from an abdominal injury.

England cannot afford any injury or illness-enforced absences for a fixture which is almost certain to determine whether they reach the knockout stages.

They have already lost makeshift opener Kevin Pietersen (hernia) and pace bowler Stuart Broad (side strain) to injuries.

But Jonathan Trott, a regular at number three for England and scorer of four half-centuries in five innings, played down fears of his skipper or Swann being added to the list of absentees.

"They're two key players and would be in anybody's team," said Trott, who has been suffering from a cold in India.

"I'm pretty confident they will be all right. These things are normally 24 or 48 hours. I could give you a better idea on Wednesday if they train."

England's erratic form so far in the tournament under Strauss has prompted speculation that the opening batsman may be close to retiring from one-day internationals.

World Cups have a habit of spelling the end for England captains - Nasser Hussain and Michael Vaughan both stepped down after poor outcomes in 2003 and 2007.

But, speaking on Monday, Swann said: "I haven't spoken to Straussy [about his retirement]. He's certainly made no overtures about resignation to any of the team. I'd be very surprised if that was the case."

Swann added he was confident that England will beat the Windies to reach the quarter-finals, although even a win does not guarantee a last-eight berth if other results in Group B go against them.

"We play our best cricket when we've got our backs against the wall," he added.



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see also
Swann backs England to progress
14 Mar 11 |  England
Swann fined for showing dissent
12 Mar 11 |  England
Bangladesh rally to shock England
11 Mar 11 |  England
Windies brush aside woeful Tigers
04 Mar 11 |  Cricket


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