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Anderson axed for $20m game

Image: Anderson: dropped to make room for second spinner

James Anderson has been left out of the England team for Saturday's $20 million showdown with the Stanford Superstars.

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England go with two spinners for Antigua showdown

James Anderson has been left out of the England team for Saturday's $20 million showdown with the Stanford Superstars. Nottinghamshire spinner Graeme Swann is preferred to Anderson, the first time the Lancashire fast bowler has been left out of England's limited-overs line-up for more than a year. The 26-year-old has been ever present since missing the fixture against Australia at the World Twenty20 back in September 2007. Anderson's omission is the only change from the XI which sealed a comprehensive 4-0 victory over South Africa in the NatWest Series. Skipper Kevin Pietersen justified the decision on the grounds that the slow pitch in Antigua meant two spinners had to be included.

Hardest decision

"It was never going to be the easiest decision, in fact it was one of the hardest decisions I've had to make in terms of carrying 11 players on the field," said Pietersen. "But he (Anderson) has taken it brilliantly well, he has been absolutely fantastic at training. "It has been very difficult for him, especially being an integral part of the team for the past 12 months. "He has taken the field on every occasion but we realise that we play to win for England and unfortunately the circumstances have arisen in terms of the pitch, and the outfield, and the way games have gone. We have to play another spinner. "We haven't played a second spinner for I don't know how long but unfortunately conditions have meant Jimmy has to miss out.
Lucrative
"It is not as though the lads have been left out and nothing is going to happen if we win, there is still a buzz about stuff and we all want to win." Ryan Sidebottom, who has been kept out of net sessions in recent days with a stiff calf, Alastair Cook and Ravi Bopara are the other three men who will be on the sidelines. England's starting XI stand to pocket $1m each if England triumph in the winner-takes-all showdown. The other four squad members - Anderson, Bopara, Cook and Sidebottom - will each collect $250,000 if their team-mates emerge victorious. England: KP Pietersen (captain), IR Bell, MJ Prior, OA Shah, A Flintoff, PD Collingwood, SR Patel, LJ Wright, SCJ Broad, GP Swann, SJ Harmison

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