Broad beats bug to boost England (From Crewe Guardian)

Broad beats bug to boost England

9:46am Friday 19th March 2010 in

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England expect Stuart Broad to be fully fit for Saturday's start of the second Test against Bangladesh after a bout of illness.

Broad, who was an injury concern ahead of the first Test with a back spasm, missed Thursday's training session but has recovered well and was present for Friday's net practice.

The 23-year-old's fitness is crucial to an England side who already have a trio of frontline seamers - James Anderson, Graham Onions and Ryan Sidebottom - recuperating back home.

He is pencilled in to play in a four-man attack alongside Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann, with the second spinner James Tredwell hoping he can dislodge Steve Finn from the XI.

England captain Alastair Cook said: "Broady is taking a full part in training, so he is expected to be fully fit.

"He had a little illness but we think he'll be fine. The medical team have seen him and he's up and about now, which he wasn't on Thursday. Hopefully the bug is gone and he'll be fine."

Swann's haul of 10 wickets in the 181-run win in Chittagong may count in Tredwell's favour as he looks to make his Test debut, but Cook admits the English mindset often favours an extra paceman.

"We'll consider all the options and a second spinner is definitely one of those," Cook added. "We'll sit down a pick the best team to win the match. We did that in Chittagong and in hindsight we got it right.

"If we think that is the best way of going - two seamers, two spinners - then we will do that. It is very 'un-English', though.

"We are used to playing in English conditions where seamers do the majority of the work, and you'd be very unlikely ever to go out in England with less than three seamers."