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Michael Vaughan’s injury jinx has struck again during England’s first practice session since the sacking of their vice-captain, Andrew Flintoff.

Vaughan, who missed most of the 2006 season with a chronic knee problem, was forced to play a minimal part in England’s training session on Tuesday after tripping in a pot-hole on the outfield at Gros Islet.

He immediately underwent ice treatment from the physio Dean Conway, but was unable to bat in the nets. England insisted his absence was precautionary: “He’s absolutely fine,” said Andrew Walpole, the team spokesman. “He fell in a small hole that was in the outfield and banged his knee.”

He wasn’t taken to hospital, England deciding an X-ray was not needed. But the news once again throws into doubt England’s preparations for a must-win match against Kenya on Saturday.

If Vaughan is forced to miss the match, England’s captaincy options – now that Flintoff has been removed from the reckoning – would appear to be between Paul Collingwood and Andrew Strauss, who has been dropped for the start of this tournament but would doubtless return to partner Ed Joyce at the top of the order.

In a further concern for England, their injured seamer Jimmy Anderson, who broke his right little finger in the build-up to the match against Canada on Sunday, also failed to bowl in the nets. He was limited to fitness drills around the perimeter of the ground, although England insisted his absence was also a precaution.

Source:Cricket Worldcup

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