England's preparation ahead of their must-win game against West Indies suffered a setback when key members of the squad including pacer Ajmal Shahzad were laid low with a stomach bug, but skipper Andrew Strauss exuded confidence that his men would recover in time for the all important clash on Thursday.
Fast bowler Shahzad became the latest player, after Strauss and off-spinner Graeme Swann, to be down with a stomach bug. The captain and team's lead tweaker Swann both missed Tuesday's training session due to illness while strike bowler James Anderson received treatment for a shoulder niggle.
"I am feeling well now. Obviously, laid low the night before and yesterday morning to some extent. But I feel fine now. Graeme Swann is also recovering well. He should be practising today. I don't know whether he is quite as fine as I am. We are confident that Swann will be fine for tomorrow's clash. Shahzad has been struck as well. He probably won't practice today," Strauss told reporters here on the eve of their high-profile group B clash.
"We are not sure at this stage whether that is going to affect Ajmal's chances of being selected for tomorrow. It has happened to a lot of experienced guys going down in this World Cup.
