Fearing that a number of senior players may opt out of the Test series in case England actually embark on the tour of India, the cricket board here has decided to keep three rookie bowlers on stand-by.

According to a report in the Daily Mail, the untried Middlesex trio of Tim Murtagh, Alan Richardson and Steven Finn would be part of the England team which is scheduled to fly to Abu Dhabi tomorrow to join the camp there before the two-Test series against India.

The Abu Dhabi Cricket Club, which hosted the recent Pakistan-West Indies ODI series, would be the base of the England team before the Test series against India, the report claimed.

The move to put the rookie bowlers, all possessing up-to-date Indian visas, on stand-by came following reports that pacers Steve Harmison and Andrew Flintoff, apart from spinner Graeme Swann, are reluctant to tour India following the Mumbai terror attacks. Pacer James Anderson is also likely to stay back to be with his pregnant wife. To make it worse, injuries to pacers Ryan Sidebottom and Stuart Broad have further depleted England’s pace bowling department.

Prior willing to tour

England wicketkeeper Matt Prior is willing to return to India for next week’s Test series as he is desperate to hold on to his place in the national side. Already under-fire for his lacklustre show in the one-day series, Prior does not want to lose his spot in the side by pulling out of the two-Test series. “He takes the view that he’s a professional cricketer and it’s his job to go back with the team. He’s discussed it with both Sussex and his family and along as he gets the right assurances, he’ll return,” Prior’s agent Andy Smith told BBC.

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